Tag: A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Join the Mission: Distribute 100,000 Bhagavad Gitas Worldwide

I reflect on a transformative spiritual journey that began 25+ years ago with the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, from a monk in Mumbai. Initially skeptical, I engaged, allowing the Gita to purify my heart through countless readings. Inspired by my benefactor, I set a goal to distribute 100,000 copies of the Gita. Through persistent outreach, I have successfully shared over 10,000 copies worldwide but I recognize the challenge ahead. I invite you to join in this great mission. Can you see the potential for worldwide transformational change as each inspired individual can significantly impact countless lives? Will you help?

Approximately twenty five years ago, I was a young, haughty engineer. I was also an atheist then. I got my copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is from a monk in Mumbai (then Bombay). He gave it to me free of charge. The story of my early spiritual journey is here.

The Perfect Escape Manual

Bhagavad Gita As It Is
Bhagavad Gita As It Is is the perfect escape manual for those trapped in the material realm.

I had read many editions of the Gita before, but they were more or less useless. I had discarded them. I had concluded that the Bhagavad Gita was complete nonsense. I planned to read and discard this one too. So I began to try and find the faults. This book ended up finding my faults, honestly.

My Journey with the Gita

As I travelled all over the world, my Gita went with me. Reflecting on the pure instructions of Krishna cleansed my consciousness. Reading the Bhagavad Gita hundreds of times, the clear writings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada purified my heart. I wasn’t speaking to anyone about spiritual life during those years. It was just me and the book…It was many years until I actually came into the association of the devotees. It was not just philosophy, but also a full manual to living life in a joyful spiritual way.

That interaction with our unknown hero, the Hare Krishna monk, has been the single most transformational one in my life.

Paying It Forward: The 100,000 Gita Goal

I began to gratefully consider how to respond… I didn’t know by benefactor by name or by face. I didn’t have any contact information for him. While I couldn’t do anything for him, I decided to pay it forward .

Impulsively, I think, at first, but with great conviction after, I picked a target to distribute 100,000 of those Bhagavad Gita As It Is, or equivalent. I don’t know how I came up with the number. But now it’s ingrained. I have committed this to myself. I have committed this to God. I have given my word to my Guru. I have asserted it to so many others. I’ve got to do it, or die trying.

It’s got to be done, the 100,000 Gitas or equivalent. And after 18 years of trying, I’m finally past the 10,000 mark. So 10% there. It’s not totally hopeless.

Testing a New Approach

But recently, I began to have a sneaking suspicion that I couldn’t do it alone. So I decided to test it out.

I continued to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books as I did, hand-to-hand, person-to-person. I went into apartment buildings. I went to street corners. I went to busy intersections with a lot of people milling about. I approached strangers late at night. I distributed books on buses, trains, planes. I called people. I wrote online. I mailed books to people I’d met. Sometimes they gave me a donation. At other times I covered the cost of the books myself.

As I approach the end of my corporate career, I realized something important. I can’t continue to cover the costs myself for much longer!

The Reality of Spiritual Book Distribution

I quickly discovered that it’s almost impossible to even give spiritual books away. People who are uninterested or against the ideas in the books just do not want them. And to someone who is interested, they will gladly donate generously. There are the friends and family who have donated so much. There is the lady who emptied her bank account on a late night for a book that cost $1. Recently an auto mechanic did the “give you everything in my account right now” thing.

I also compared my hand-to-hand distribution score with the score I got from others’ help. And in the last few years, others have helped me distribute more books than I have distributed myself!

So this boils down the book distribution project down to finding interested people. An interested person wants a book for themselves. Or someone interested wants to help me distribute them to others.

I can only hit the 100,000 goal with others’ help!

The Numbers Don’t Lie

On average, whenever I go out to distribute books, very few people interact with me. Usually, about one in a hundred people will engage with me in any way. The interactions are on a wide spectrum. Some are quite positive. Some are nasty. Of those who do interact in any way, about one out of ten will take a book. Mostly it’s a small book. Rarely it is a Bhagavad Gita. And even more rarely, someone will get a full set of books, like the Srimad Bhagavatam, or the Chaitanya Charitamrita. All in all, it takes me about 10,000 attempts to distribute the equivalent of a single Bhagavad Gita.

My lifetime total is 100,000 Gitas. The last time I counted, I had about 90,000 to go.

The Impossible Math

Simple Math tells me that it will take me about 900,000,000 attempts. That is 900 Million. The human population of our planet is 8.2 Billion. I will need to approach 1 out of every 9 people on this planet. All this to distribute the equivalent of 90,000 Bhagavad Gitas hand-to-hand! This still sounds possible somehow, through my website, through my various outings all over the world.

But, given that a successful book distribution takes around 10 minutes on average including the unsuccessful interactions… that is 900,000 minutes, or 15,000 hours. I can presently go out 108 times a year. If each of my outings were to last just 2 hours, I’d need to go out 7,500 times. And at my current rate, that would take me another 70 years. I’m already over fifty years of bodily age in my current lifetime… It is unlikely I will live to be 120 years old! And even if I were to live that long, my “useful lifespan” would be much shorter than that.

Long story short. I really can’t do this alone. I need help.

Why can’t everyone just get the Gita for themselves?

That’s a valid question. After all, God helps those who helps themselves, right?Why should I or anyone else go through all this trouble? There are some key reasons why someone can’t get the Gita themselves:

  1. They don’t know about it yet – that’s why we reach out relentlessly
  2. They haven’t found a genuine edition of the Gita yet – most versions are full of motivated concoctions – I had read so many editions before, but that monk helped me get the pure message of the Gita, so can we help others
  3. They just can’t afford it – I know many souls who just can’t afford to buy the book, in India, in Africa, in South America, and elsewhere
  4. They don’t realize the value of the Gita – there are many who can very well afford to buy a copy, but don’t know the value – giving them a taste of the Gita will help them tremendously, and they will support the cause themselves

A donated copy of the Bhagavad Gita removes those barriers. Distributors can freely distribute to anyone who is interested.

That monk gave me a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is free of charge. Someone sponsored that copy. So I have yet another unknown benefactor!

Being an Instrument

So how to do it?

It is not that I have to personally distribute the Bhagavad Gitas myself. I just need to be an instrument in the distribution of the Gitas. We know that Krishna advised Arjuna “nimitta-mātraṁ bhava“, “be but an instrument” (BG 11.33). Since the instructions of the Gita apply to all of humanity, they also apply to me, and to you. We can all choose to be instruments in the hands of God.

How can we be an instrument?

I can be an instrument if I can inspire a lot of people, each doing a little bit! And you can be an instrument if you choose to help.

We can be like a scalpel in the hands of the expert surgeon. We can work to remove the cancer of a Godless society together.

An Invitation for you to Join

य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भ‍क्तेष्वभिधास्यति ।
भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशय: ॥ ६८ ॥

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/68/

न च तस्मान्मनुष्येषु कश्चिन्मे प्रियकृत्तम: ।
भविता न च मे तस्मादन्य: प्रियतरो भुवि ॥ ६९ ॥

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād
anyaḥ priya-taro bhuvi

There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/69/

You, my dear reader, can surely help. If you help me, then together, we can change another 90,000 lives at least. The collateral improvement from this can be much bigger. Each of those lives can impact another 90,000, and each of those another 90,000… Don’t you want to save the world with Krishna’s wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita?

We can distribute Bhagavad Gitas anywhere on the planet. Whether it is Africa, or North America, or South America, Europe, Australia, or Asia. Any country in the world. Any of the 90+ languages the Bhagavad Gita is now available in.

Will you please help? das@dasadas.com

The Spiritual Connection revealed at a Farewell

At a funeral in Toronto for a man from Kazakhstan, the author, even though unfamiliar with the deceased, reflects on his unexpected role in the cremation, arising from a shared devotion to Krishna. Krishna is the All-Knowing, All-Powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead. This unexpected connection demonstrates Krishna’s omniscience and the surprising spiritual connections that intertwine our lives.

I stood at the funeral home, my finger poised on the button, ready to press it. The button was connected to the circuit that would ignite the fire. The flames would transform the lifeless body to ashes. The material elements would be consumed. The spirit soul that once inhabited the body, freed from it’s current bondage, would be free to move on.

Normally, this service of offering fire at the end of life is reserved for the son of the deceased. But this was not my father. In fact, before the funeral, I had never met him personally for a long time. We had seen each other in the past. In 2012 or 2013, but no significant interactions after that, just once, a short conversation. Victor recalled me asking him if he’d read the Bhagavad Gita, and turns out, he had!

The departed gentleman was from Kazakhstan, and I am from India. The funeral was being conducted in Toronto. The gentleman had two daughters, and no sons.

So how was it that his daughter, Lilamayi, no (bodily) relation to me, picked me to serve her father in this way?

It turns out that both of us, the daughter of the man, and I are devotees of Krishna. We are both initiated into spiritual life by disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. Her spiritual master is His Holiness Sacinandana Swami, and my spiritual master is His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari.

And we have both served in the Krishna Consciousness Movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, for many years. I saw the young lady first come into our community. I happily witnessed her journey, deeper and deeper involved in hearing and chanting about Krishna. She is a noted kirtan leader today, Her Grace Lilamayi Devi Dasi.

Who arranged all this?

Krishna arranged all this. It seemed like it was “right at the last minute” to us. But Krishna knew who the gentleman was. Krishna knows who I am. Krishna knows who his daughter is. Krishna knew what my service to these souls would be. All this, well before we even came together. Krishna knows what that soul’s future trajectory is. Krishna knows mine too.

वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन ।
भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥ २६ ॥


vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna
bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni
māṁ tu veda na kaścana

O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/26/

Dear Sri Krishna, you are omniscient. You are Omnipotent. You are the Supreme Well-wisher of us all.

भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥ २९ ॥


bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/5/29/

My Dear Sri Krishna, I pray to remain your surrendered servant, and the servant of your servants. What shall I do for your devotees Krishna?

Who was Victor before? What is my connection to him? Only you know, Dear Krishna. You remember everything, and I, almost nothing. Surely you had mapped out an auspicious trajectory for Victor. Why else were there so many Vaishnavas chanting Your Holy Names at Victor’s funeral?

I pray never to forget you, Dear Krishna. Please help me to always remember You.

Victor gained a son after his death, and I, service to someone dear to Krishna.

I now recall the same prayers I offered on behalf of Victor, the fortunate soul You had me serve. It was my good fortune that You gave me this service. May I never forget Your magnanimity.

वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम् ।
ॐ क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर ॥ १७॥

vāyur anilam amṛtam
athedaṁ bhasmāntaṁ śarīram
oṁ krato smara kṛtaṁ smara
krato smara kṛtaṁ smara

Let this temporary body be burnt to ashes, and let the air of life be merged with the totality of air. Now, O my Lord, please remember all my sacrifices, and because You are the ultimate beneficiary, please remember all that I have done for You.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/17/

अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान्
विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान् ।
युयोध्यस्मज्जुहुराणमेनो
भूयिष्ठां ते नमउक्तिं विधेम ॥ १८॥

agne naya supathā rāye asmān
viśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān
yuyodhy asmaj juhurāṇam eno
bhūyiṣṭhāṁ te nama-uktiṁ vidhema

O my Lord, as powerful as fire, O omnipotent one, now I offer You all obeisances, falling on the ground at Your feet. O my Lord, please lead me on the right path to reach You, and since You know all that I have done in the past, please free me from the reactions to my past sins so that there will be no hindrance to my progress.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/18/

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare

Thank you, Krishna.

Descartes did not understand Consciousness

Many believe that animals and other species in other bodies outside of humans are not souls, that they are mere automations. The misunderstanding can be traced back at least to Descartes’ “cogito ergo sum”, where he sadly misunderstood something very important…

René Descartes was a great thinker, an eminent Christian scholar, and his thoughts have arguably shaped the foundations of Christianity.

Unfortunately, he got at least one basic thing wrong, “cogito ergo sum” – translated as “I think, therefore I am”. This statement shows Descartes’ ignorance. Consciousness is not dependent on “thinking”.

Consciousness is the fundamental symptom of life – all living entities have lower or higher consciousness, some can think at a more advanced level based on how evolved their consciousness is, and some at a less advanced level.

Who am I to be criticizing the great Descartes? Yes. I must admit that I am not even a tiny fraction of that mighty thinker. I am just a little recovering atheist. But my knowledge, that is not mine, it is not original. I am not speaking on anything that I have come up with myself, but relying on the words of God Himself. The Bhagavad Gita is quite literally “The Song of God”. I rely on the Bhagavad Gita. But there are way too many mis-translations and misinterpretations of this Divine Book unfortunately, which have been written by speculators with a poor fund of knowledge.

So I rely on the great Acharyas, teachers who received this knowledge in disciplic succession from God. If I threw a mango from the top of a tree to the ground, it would smash, and become unfit to consume, but if I organized a chain of people from the topmost branch of the mango tree to the ground, with ladders and so on, as needed, then the mango could make it safely into my hands.

In the disciplic succession, Parampara, each person in the chain acts as an honest messenger – they repeat everything exactly in line with what their predecessor did, without any addition or subtraction – and you can verify what they said by checking up on what their spiritual master said. So, even if a particular link in the chain may be accepted as ordinary (though none of them can actually be ordinary, that is a matter for another day), still, the message is pristine and perfect.

So I rely on the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is 32nd (from Krishna, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead), 28th(from Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa, the Literary Incarnation of Krishna), or 11th(Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Krishna Himself, appearing as His devotee to show us how to be one) link in the chain originating from God Himself. And even though I have not met Srila Prabhupada personally, I am a disciple of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari, who is a direct disciple of Srila Prabhupada, which makes my spiritual master 33rd, 29th, or 12th in line from God Himself. Not only my own spiritual master, but I have benefited from the thousands of disciples of Srila Prabhupada, and I have benefited from many other souls who are in other branches of the same tree of disciplic succession, going back at least 5,000 and 500 years. However, the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita has been extant in civilized society in our Universe for at least 40 Million years. However, as the Universe is 114 Trillion years old, this knowledge is that ancient in this Universe.

However, as this Universe is just like a flash in the pan, a proverbial flash of lightning in the fabric of eternity, this knowledge is actually eternal.

The fact that my knowledge is not “original” but is coming from a long line of teachers originating from God Himself, that is my only strength. On the purity, strength, and intelligence of these great souls, I dare say Descartes is wrong.

A crude example is that a small child may say 2+2=4, not know how that is so, but it does not change the fact that the child is right. The child heard this from someone who does understand numbers and addition, so on the strength of that person’s knowledge, the child is right.

Or let’s take the example of a normal person, perfectly capable when sober, but when they are intoxicated, they are no better than an animal, at least temporarily. If another man were to kill the drunken person, would that not count as murder? So even a short-term mental disability is not grounds for ny mistreatment.

Now take for example two sons of the same father. One, the elder, is strong, intelligent, and capable… the other, younger, let’s say, for the purpose of this example, a whimpering idiot, cannot learn anything, cannot do much, and cannot, for the life of him, stand up to his brother. Comparing

If the capable boy were to propose to the father that they kill the retarded younger son, because, he might say, let’s face it, he’s no better than an animal, would the father agree? Even if the father agreed with the elder son’s assessment of the younger brother, still, he would not allow the younger son to be killed, even with his long-term disability.

On the streets of various cities in the world, I have personally met many drunk or drugged humans, and to be honest, they are actually lower than some animals!

Animals are no less than the mentally challenged human, whether long-term or short-term. They are spirit souls encaged in a body and mind that don’t permit higher consciousness, not very difficult from a drunk or drugged human. But this conflation of thinking with the presence or absence of a soul has caused a grave injustice in this world.

If only Descartes was fortunate enough to receive instruction from the Song of God!

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तय: सम्भवन्ति या: ।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रद: पिता ॥ ४ ॥

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/14/4/

Descartes’ grave error has encouraged the Christians around the world to commit murder with impunity. They interpret the commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” as “Thou shalt not kill another human unnecessarily”. This is leading hosts of Christians into endless lifetimes of suffering birth, death, old age, and disease, being born as animals repeatedly, only to be mercilessly slaughtered.

In modern times there is really no excuse for eating meat. Fruits, Roots, Nuts, Vegetables, Grains are abundantly available and milk products obtained from Ahimsa farms can be made available too.

Christians and others who follow any kind of spiritual tradition need to rise above the sad ignorance of Descartes and stop eating meat unless it were a matter of life and death, because Meat is not for spiritualists, meat is for animals, even if the animals happen to be in human form.

Read the Bhagavad Gita As It Is today, and be a better Christian, Jew, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, or Jain or any other type of spiritualist. Do you need a copy?