European Sankirtan Newsletter

Dear prabhus,

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

As always, transcendental book distribution is the most exciting activity in the universe. By Srila Prabhupada’s mercy many temples have increased their distribution this month. The UK did especially well, as they are doing regularly now, and they are flooding the island with Srila Prabhupada’s books which will change the course of history. Also, France took full advantage of the Olympics being in Paris this year and went way over their regular scores. Germany, Spain and Italy have come to a steady level of distribution, but they want to increase following the example of the UK. Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria on the East side have also become very steady in their book distribution with Budapest doing especially well. Also, the Benelux has become a steady powerhouse of book distribution, but for me the most amazing news of all is always the Ukraine yatra distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books in circumstances that none of us can even imagine and this month Kyiv made it to 1000 book points!!!

Europe is so big that I can’t mention every country, but you can see for yourself the scores below. I would like to cite some passages from the Krsna book as well as some letters from Srila Prabhupada this time.

Krsna book chapter 7 “The Lord appears in different complete, eternal forms of incarnation. The conditioned soul has immense opportunity to hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord in these different incarnations. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said janma karma ca me divyam. The pastimes and activities of the Lord are not material-they are beyond the material conception – and the conditioned soul can benefit by hearing such uncommon activities. Hearing is an opportunity to associate with the Lord; to hear His activities is to evolve one’s transcendental nature- simply by hearing." So, by giving these books we are giving the conditioned souls the opportunity to hear about Krsna and change their lives forever. Next is a passage from the end of the Krsna book. “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna; the Supersoul of all living entities, out of His causeless mercy comes down and manifests His different transcendental pastimes in different incarnations. Hearing the attractive pastimes of Lord Krsna’s different incarnations is a chance for liberation for the conditioned soul, and the most fascinating and pleasing activities of Lord Krsna Himself are still more attractive because Lord Krsna personally is all-attractive. “

“Following in the holy footsteps of Srila Sukadeva Goswami, we have tried to present this book KRSNA, for being read and heard by the conditioned souls of this age. By hearing the pastimes of Lord Krsna, one is sure and certain to get salvation and be transferred back home, back to Godhead.“

Srila Prabhupada KIjaya!!! just see what great gift Srila Prabhupada has given us and he just asks that we take it ourselves and give it out to others.

Next, I would like to quote from a few letters from Srila Prabhupada. By reading this letter we can understand that Srila Prabhupada is looking at the Sankirtan scores and is very pleased!!

“I read your Sankirtan newsletter with great relish. Europe and America are in great danger, this Hare Krsna movement is enveloping them. The Sankirtan devotees are very, very dear to Krsna. Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, Krsna has immediately recognised them as true servants. ---------- So, Krsna immediately recognises a preacher of Krsna consciousness who takes all risks to deliver his message.” This next letter is also about the Sankirtan newsletter that Srila Prabhupada read regularly. “I am in due receipt of your weekly sankirtan newsletters. I am always happy to hear of increasing book sales. These reports are very encouraging to me. Our real business is to print and distribute books. By doing this business, you are all becoming recognized by Krsna. Please try to continue working so nicely for Krsna, following the rules and regulations, chanting 16 rounds, and studying my books, and you will finish your business in this material world in this life and enter into the spiritual world to live with Krsna eternally.“ What an easy process we just have to follow these simple instructions and we can go back to home, back to Godhead in this life!!! We are so fortunate to have such a simple formula for perfection now we just have to follow it and continue with great enthusiasm distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books.

Srila Prabhupada kijaya!!!

Your servant,

Trai Das

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Monday October 7 at 19:00 CET 18:00 UK with Manidhara das Prabhu.

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Sankirtan stories

Germany

Once I drove with my car alone to a very remote little town in midst of the Black Forest area in South Germany. I knew the place to be "nectar" as it provided a very personal and intimate atmosphere. Well, maybe "too intimate". The town consisted of one main market place and few side streets only. After parking the car outside, I started to distribute. I knew, place like this has to be dealt with very gently. There was no way, "to mix with the crowd, as there was no crowd. Approaching the single household wives going shopping in the morning, I found myself soon to be observed intensely by a lonely police man standing at the corner.

"Alas", I thought, such a nice town and now my day is ruined. I tried to escape into some smaller side streets, but the little fat man followed me instantly, still watching from a distance. This game was going on for almost half an hour before I gave up and walked out straight towards him, trying to pass him by. He stopped me instantly. “Hey, you are Hare Krsna, right?” There was nowhere to hide and so I answered smilingly: “Yes, what can I do for you?” He asked quickly: “Where is the car?” I was prepared and not ready to surrender my car to him so easily so it can be searched at the local police station. I said: “I came by train, there is no car”. He looked annoyed and said: “don’t be foolish, I know that you came by a car. It’s probably standing in the small parking lot at the edge of the town." He was right. Somehow I saw something in his eyes which was rather uncommon. He wasn’t challenging at all, rather curious. I told him, still smiling: “You really want to see the car?” He eagerly said: “Yes”.

And so I went to the car with the little man following me all the way. As soon we reached the car and I opened it… he jumped in. I couldn’t believe it. Suddenly I had that little police man sitting comfortably in my sankirtan van, asking a simple question: “Where are the books?” I opened the back and showed him the whole supply I had with me. He went eagerly through the books, saying repeatedly. “Oh, I have this one, I have that one, this I read already”.

I relaxed. This never happened before. After a while the man finally found a book he didn’t read yet. Collecting two books more, he paid for them and while sitting still in the back seat of the car, he looked very satisfied. I sit down as well and we had a very relaxed talk. He asked for prasadam and I gave him a banana. Chewing happily on the banana, he explained to me how he is chanting since three years. He saw that I am slightly skeptical and so he pulled out of his uniform a rather worn out bead bag. He said proudly: “I chant finally sixteen rounds a day!” I asked him where he met the devotees first time… but he didn’t. As matter of fact I was the first devotee he spoke to. All the other books he ordered from the temple per mail. As we talked happily, suddenly he crashed down on the floor of the sankirtan van while quickly taking of his police hat. I was surprised. But soon I could understand as a police car slowly passed by, that the little man is hiding from his colleagues. When they disappeared my friend came up again, set down and said smilingly, "They are looking for the Hare Krsna’s".

And so he finally exited the van, telling me that I should be careful next time I come, since "the police chief is not so friendly". I met this "police bhakta" several times more as I regularly stopped in this little town. He always knew when I come as he heard it on the police radio, took over the task to find the Hare Krsna’s, got our latest published books and reported back to the chief that there are no Hare Krsna’s monks in the town.

After some years suddenly our contact broke. Through various tricks I found out that he quit his police service and moved on. I never saw him again.

Italy

I wanted to share the story of yesterday at RATHA YATRA.

When I met this nun I put the book in front of her without saying anything, she just stood there staring at the book without saying anything, then I said to her. “You have to take it.” She looked at me and said “I’ll take it.”

Portugal

On the june online sankirtan meeting, HG Vaisesika prabhu asked devotees to give their pledges for the Bhadra campaign and after HG Trai prabhu also asked us to do that, I gave my pledge to distribute 1 Srimad Bhagavatam set for portugal yatra. I was thinking: "How am I going to do this? I never distributed a Bhagavatam set.

And we don't even have a portuguese set here in Lisbon. So I asked the devotee in charge of books and he told me that it's not possible to order a Portuguese set at the moment (printing of a small quantity would be very expensive), but we do have a Bengali set, so I should sell that one. I was very pessimistic, but Srila Prabhupada's instruction to "go hunt for the rhinoceros" and Bhagavad Gita As It Is was telling me to just do my duty and try my best. After spending a couple of weeks on the "Olympics book distribution marathon" in Paris I got a spark of hope by seeing the amazing devotees from France and Atlanta distribute a Bhagavatam set every day, even on the

streets of Paris! Rasananda Sankirtan prabhu told me that the secret is that the devotees in Atlanta have the faith that Krishna is in the heart and can inspire anyone to take any stack or set of books, if he wants. I started to pray to Lord Jagannatha for guidance and He gave me the strength - to start showing the Srimad Bhagavatam in bengali language during the Janmastami festival celebration in Lisbon to the guests. No one bought it, but at the end of the program,

Jayanta prabhu, a wonderful devotee (see photo), as he saw me advertising Bhagavatam,approached and said: "I already have a set, but my friend wants one, so I will buy one for him". I thought: "Wow, it IS working.

I followed the instructions of the senior devotees and I prayed and Lord Jagannatha made it happen!" Actually, I prayed also to Sri Sri Radha Parisisvara and to Sri Krishna Balarama. Jayanta prabhu, although without a job in the moment, easily took Laxmi out of his wallet and bought the set for his friend. This is the result of cooperation of our whole yatra and of the blessings of the guru Maharaja and the Vaishnavas.
Sankirtan yajna ki jay!

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