European Sankirtan Newsletter

Dear prabhus,

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

This was another month with many nice surprises. London Soho temple has again doubled the nearest temple with over 7500 book points. Srila Prabhupada is certainly very pleased as it is such an important city in the world. In Italy ISKCON celebrated its 50th year since the arrival of Srila Prabhupada in Rome. That Srila Prabhupada’s books are still going out in particular by the devotees in Sankirtan Dham and all the other temples is a sign of spiritual health. Also the Hungarian, Czech yatras along with Germany, France and the Dutch yatra are maintaining a regular steady distribution. But the most enlivening news for me is to see the steady increase of the Zurich yatra in Switzerland. This was one of the historical beacons of book distribution and to see them rising again is a very postive sign. Srila Prabhupada said that one who has life can preach and book distribution is the best preaching so strong book distribution is a sign of spiritual health. Of course, really the most inspiring of all is to see the book distribution going on month after month in a war-torn country like Ukraine. Once some devotees were saying that Prabhupada said there would be police oppression and book distribution would be stopped and when he heard this, he said that “whoever said that in my name is a rascal, go on making your lifetime plans for distributing my books noone can stop us if we are spiritually strong”.

I would like to quote a very nice verse and purport from the Srimad Bhagawatam 4th canto chapter 12 verse 36.

Verse: “The self-effulgent Vaikuntha planets , by whose illumination alone all the illuminating planets within this material world give off reflected light, cannot be reached by those who are not merciful to other living entities. Only persons who constantly engage in welfare activities for other living entities can reach the Vaikuntha planets.”

Purport:”---From this material world, however, people can be transferred to the Vaikunthalokas if they incessantly engage in welfare activities for all other living entities. Such incessant welfare activities can really be performed only in Krsna consciousness. There is no philanthropic work within this material world but Krsna consciousness that can engage a person twenty-four hours a day.

A Krsna conscious being is always engaged in planning how to take all of suffering humanity back home, back to Godhead. Even if one is not successful in reclaiming all the fallen souls back to Godhead, still, because he is Krsna conscious, his path to Vaikunthloka is open. He personally becomes qualified to enter the Vaikunthalokas, and if anyone follows such a devotee, he also enters into Vaikunthaloka. ---But devotees, Vaisnavas , who are servants of the Lord , come forward in the actual field of work in Krsna consciousness to reclaim fallen souls. Only Krsna conscious persons are eligible to enter into the spiritual world. That is clearly stated in this verse and is confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita, wherein the Lord says that there is no one dearer to Him than those who preach the gospel of Bhagavad Gita to the world “So Srila Prabhupada gave us a very practical and concrete formula to realize this verse and purport in the form of printing and distributing books all over the world.

Then I will quote a verse from the Caitanya Caritamrta Adi Lila Chapter 16

Verse 1: “I worship Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, whose nectarean mercy flows like a great river, inundating the entire universe. Just as a river flows downstream, Lord Caitanya especially extends Himself to the fallen.”

Purport: “Narottama dasa Thakur has sung sri krsna caitanya prabhu daya kara more. He prays for Lord Caitanya’s mercy because He is the mercy incarnation, having appeared especially to reclaim the fallen souls. The more fallen one is, the greater one’s claim to the favor of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One must only be very sincere and serious. Despite being contaminated by all the bad qualities of this Kali-yuga, if one surrenders unto the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord will surely and certainly deliver him. The best example is Jagai and Madhai. In this age of Kali practically everyone is like Jagai and Madhai, but the Sankirtan movement inaugurated by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is still flowing like a great river, inundating the entire world, and thus the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is successfully claiming all fallen souls to free them from contamination.”

So, let’s keep the river of Srila Prabhupada’s books flowing and inundate the entire world.

Srila Prabhupada kijaya!!!

Your servant,

Trai Das