Dear Devotees,
Hare Krishna!
Please kindly accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I pray that you are all well and in good health and spirits.
By your blessings I can join in this Hare Krishna movement, despite my disqualifications. Thank you!
It is hard to believe that it is the end of October. This is only my second Sankirtan update for 2024!
The next things have compressed my Sankirtan reports writing time, so this is inevitable:
1. More classes online and in person this year. There will be nearly 60 in 2024, double of 2023. This number is nothing for the great preachers. Still, for someone like me, it takes a lot of time to prepare for the classes. I also spend a lot of time going to the various places, etc.
2. More posts published to my website www.dasadas.com… 30+ articles, again nothing for the great preachers, but a lot of time spent in writing, researching, revising, etc.
3. Added to the temple services at ISKCON Toronto, which takes up 1 evening every week.
4. My Gurudeva ordered me to finish the Ultimate Self Realization Course Bhagavad Gita weekly lesson project. It is a great honour to serve my spiritual master Srila Sankarshan Prabhu on this.
5. Missed recording some outings and book count at the time… but I’m not going to speculate about those… best to count them as “not done” and do a bit more.
6. In several MSFs, focus on the Kirtan. Let other newer sankirtan warriors distribute books. Everyone needs to get the experience of distributing books. They should feel that ecstasy and surge of energy from book distribution. I felt privileged to support their distribution with my Kirtan, but of course, my personal book count was zero then.
I started writing this update in spring. I picked out this verse, which is not relevant any more. This is because it is now autumn/fall here in Toronto! Better late than never!
Spring Update
bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁ
gāyatrī chandasām aham
māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo ’ham
ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ
Of the hymns in the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-sāma, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring. BG 10.35
Spring had certainly arrived in Toronto. The flowers were in full bloom and the cold winter has given way to a more pleasant spring. Of course, this is all short-lived, so I’m trying my best to make the most of it! With spring, the people are out. I am noticing that they are in a better mood. They are more likely to engage in a spiritual conversation.
Everything has gotten busier, of course. Sankirtan powers my spiritual life along with hearing and chanting. I make sure to go out regularly.
Summer & Fall Update
In summer, there were many outings, personally, as well as in a group. In the late summer/fall, there was a trip to Sri Bharat Bhumi, also called India in modern times… I came back with a severe flu. It took me time to regain lung capacity. Eventually, I was able to go out on Harinam and do both call and response myself!
There was quite a bit of book distribution in India, as you can see below. Now I look forward to rounding out the year with Harinam and Book Distribution outings in Toronto. This is my seva spot for now…
Please feel free to share this Sankirtan report with others… If it inspires even one soul to go out on Harinam or Book Distribution, we will all benefit. Even just once more will bring benefits for everyone. If one more spiritual book is distributed as a result, we will all benefit!
General Update
The number of devotees out on Sankirtan in and around Toronto has increased significantly. This comes after a bit of a dip. We have the young folks from Bhakti Academy going out more often. I was pleasantly surprised to find one young devotee in Brampton. His name is Saahil. He is very fired up for book distribution and goes out regularly. He sends me his updates and they greatly engladden and inspire me. In general, as long as this Sankirtan continues, the future of this world is very bright.
Sankirtan and book distribution in India is booming. It is really heartwarming to see just how many souls are taking Srila Prabhupada’s books. There are no lengthy conversations before a book changes hands there. Devotees go to Vrindavan, Mayapur, and other places of pilgrimage to recharge themselves spiritually. In the same way, I often draw great inspiration from Sankirtan in India… especially after the austere lonely Harinamas here in cold Toronto 🙂
Outings Summary
- 01 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
- 10 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
- 12 May 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday feast distribution
- 17 May 2024 – Union Station Sankirtan with Bhakta Venkatesh – Bhakti Prabhava Swami reception
- 20 May 2024 – Home Program with Bhakti Prabhava Swami
- 24 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
- 25 May 2024 – Waterloo Class & MSF
- 27 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
- 3 Jun 2024 – YD Square RY Invitations
- 5 Jun 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
- 15 Jun 2024 – Markham Music Festival
- 16 Jun 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast Distribution
- 18 Jun 2024 – Union Statation RY Invitations
- 22 Jun 2024 – ISKCON Barrie RY Books Distribution
- 24 Jun 2024 – YD Square RY Invitations
- 29 Jun 2024 – Toronto MSF
- 1 Jul 2024 – Canada Day Harinam
- 8 Jul 2024 – YD Square RY Card Distribution
- 13 Jul 2024 – RY Parade Distribution
- 13 Jul 2024 – RY Book Stall distribution
- 14 Jul 2024 – RY Book Stall distribution
- 21 Jul 2024 – Ottawa Parliament Hill Hill Harinam & Books
- 27 Jul 2024 – Ottawa RY parade & book stall distribution
- 10 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Scarborough RY Book Stall Distribution
- 17 Aug 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam & Books
- 20 Aug 2024 – Pearson Airport Distribution
- 22 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
- 23 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
- 24 Aug 2024 – Anantagiri Padmanabha Swamy Temple Distribution
- 26 Aug 2024 – P&T Colony Hyderabad Distribution
- 27 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad SPL Sets Distribution
- 29 Aug 2024 – P&T Colony Post Office Distribution
- 30 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Juhu Book Stall Distribution
- 8 Sep 2024 – Mantralayam Book Distribution
- 9 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad SPL Distribution
- 13 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
- 14 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
- 17 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad SB Set Distribution
- 18 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad Travel Distribution
- 20 Aug – 19 Sep 2024 – India Daily Continuous Books Distribution
- 28 Sep 2024 – Old City Hall Toronto MSF
- 29 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Muskoka BG class + distribution
- 23 Oct 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
- 27 Oct 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast distribution
New 44 2024 outings, Total 69/108 outings in 2024
It is now Oct 28, 2024 as I write this… I am 39 outings short of my annual target!
Here are some interactions that stood out…
Toronto Conversations
In Toronto, out on MSF, we meet many wonderful souls… one such soul was visiting from Paris. She stopped to chat with me. Her flight was leaving in less than 3 hours. When I reached Hyderabad, I shipped her some French Language books I had. The books included a note by His Grace Anandamaya Prabhu. He is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada from France and has lived and served Srila Prabhupada in Hyderabad for decades. No picture unfortunately, but this is what she wrote back:
“Dear Das, Wouahhh I don’t have the words and thanks a lot“. May she be blessed by Srila Prabhupada’s divine vani.
One day, I was out on Harinam Sankirtan at Old City Hall in Toronto. It was a beautiful afternoon and I got many nice responses from passersby. But the best response was from these 4 Muslim girls dressed in colourful clothes and headscarves… they walked by, looked at me, without looking at me, in the way of girls trained in modest behavior… then they went a few steps away. They took the obligatory pictures in front of the big red building known as Old City Hall. They discussed something amongst themselves, and a chosen representative asked “Excuse me, but what are you doing”… I paused, told them “Chanting the names of God. God is One, but our languages are many. I am chanting the names of God in Sanskrit, an ancient language.” I asked them where they were from, they said Lahore… I said I was from Bombay, practically a twin city of Karachi in so many ways. Their next question was “Why are you doing this here?” I answered “See, we are fighting with each other all over the world. We are focused on our differences, which come from bodily consciousness. If we come together and chant the names of the One God, we will overcome those differences. This can happen even if it’s in our own languages. We will achieve this by the mercy of God. God is fully present in His Names. The Quran lists at least 99 names. We know so many more from our scriptures.” We had a few more Q&A. Then the girls said “we love your message, can we offer you a donation”. They did make a donation. I showed them the books I had… they looked at each one carefully. They asked me “but these books, do they go against the Quran?” I told them, “If you see a name of God you don’t recognize, read it as Allah. It could also be Rahman, Rahim, or any other name you know.” Knowledge is knowledge. There is no such thing as Hindu knowledge or Muslim knowledge. Just like there is no Pakistani sun or Canadian sun.” They agreed with me. They selected “Beyond Birth and Death.” They told me, “We also believe that life exists after death.” And they did read some parts from each book. How pure is Srila Prabhupada! His words and instructions can inspire devout Muslim girls. They approached a strange man on the street to get a book! “We like your message”, they said before leaving. I then continued chanting blissfully. I rejoiced at the pure seed of Srila Prabhupada’s love for Krishna. It had been planted in their midst.
Another young man was from South America. He studied here in Canada for a semester. He went back home despite having good grades in his program. This was because he just couldn’t find a suitable part-time job to pay his school fees. But he went home with Srila Prabhupada’s books, and even though he was broke, carefully counted out a good donation! Picture attached.
One gentleman was railing against all the injustice heaped upon him. I connected with him by explaining that seeing others on a spiritual level prevents such things from happening. The Bhagavad Gita helps us achieve this understanding, so he took a Gita. Photo attached.
Mantralayam nuggets
One man in Mantralayam said he wanted to go to ISKCON Bangalore to get himself a Bhagavad Gita, but couldn’t. He was regretting his misfortune. Now he was here in Mantralayam and a Bhagavad Gita was waiting for him!
One lady in Mantralayam wanted a Gita, wanted a Gita, wanted a Gita, but didn’t have any money… I thought it was an excuse to not get it, one of many. But I was wrong. About 20 minutes later, the lady’s daughter ran up with a handful of cash. She took the Gita from me. Inside the Mantralayam temple, my wife witnessed the family taking selfies. The main sanctum was the background. Their brand new Bhagavad Gita was the foreground!
After my time budget in Mantralayam, I still had a couple of boxes of books left… and no vehicle nearby. The policemen on duty allowed my vehicle to drop me off with my boxes of books. However, they didn’t allow the vehicle to stay or park anywhere nearby… Now I was stuck, and couldn’t carry the boxes due to back issues… I approached two men nearby… they agreed to help me carry my books outside of the enclosure. I thought they might each carry a box. But no, one of them showed up with a motorbike. The books were safely transported. At the end of their seva, we got talking. Turns out both of them were off-duty policemen, relatively new in their careers. They both took books and made generous donations.
Hyderabad Interactions
I met a Muslim Security Poet Saintly Soul in Hyderabad… works at the Hyderabad Metro. I took rikshaws and cabs at first. Then I discovered how convenient and inexpensive the Metro was. It also offers so many book distribution opportunities! As soon as he got a book, this gentleman started composing poetry glorifying Sri Krishna right on the spot… At first, I didn’t know he was Muslim. When I found out, I said “I don’t know why people argue so much when He is One”… right after that, he was so warm and friendly. Our interactions were nectarean and he took books and Prasadam. I met him almost every day and every day he had some beautiful thing to say about Krishna. Photo attached.
A deaf and dumb store assistant was helping us find clothes for our son… When I showed him a book, he was so very enthusiastic to read it! Photo attached. Srila Prabhupada’s books are for everyone! Just because someone cannot speak or hear doesn’t mean they can’t read.
During my various travels, I faced baggage weight restrictions and non-availability of languages in temples. Because of this, I didn’t always have specific books in specific languages with me… so I took down addresses and shipped them when I got to a place where books were available… Shipping books in India is really inexpensive, BTW! Of course I made friends with many postal clerks… the one at the P&T Colony post office was really fascinated with my seva. As soon as I showed up with packages of books, this gentleman would make everyone else wait. He would skip me right to the front of the line. Of course he took books and made generous donations too. Photo attached.
Every time I was able to go out, a group of young men were quickly drawn to Srila Prabhupada’s books. Some would take them. Others would ask questions… At any given time, there were some young people in the scrum… Pictures attached.
On festival days, the crowds in the Indian temples were enormous. This made book distribution in the usual way impossible. When it was possible, they did BIG sponsorship campaigns, for example on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja… many sets were distributed by devotees who could afford to buy sets, and given to those who could not. A picture is attached. Shravana Bhakti Radha Mataji, a servitor of Sri Radha Madan Mohan, sponsors a set for another devotee.
These are only a few of the stories… I couldn’t capture and share all the interactions. Many people only took small books, and there were so many. In any case, Krishna has orchestrated and recorded all those interactions and will help us all come closer to Him.
All this is possible only by your encouragement and blessings! Thank you!
If you or anyone you know wants to be notified if I’m going out on Harinam or giving a class, please let me know. Let us together flood this world with Harinam Sankirtan, Krishna Katha, and Srila Prabhupada’s books!
My 2024 goals summary so far is 69 outings, 47 classes delivered, and 307 Bhagavad Gita or equivalent distributed.
My lifetime goal of being an instrument in distributing 1 Lakh Gitas tracking is at 8,100/100,000 (8.1% of goal).
I can only set goals and pray for mercy, and try my best. But the Vaishnavas and Krishna can help fulfill the prayer, enable the effort and make the target possible to achieve. Please bless me, because your blessings are certainly potent!
Please engage in acts of Harinam Sankirtan wherever you are!
Happy Srila Prabhupada Marathon coming up!
This is written for your pleasure.
Freedom through Genuine Spiritual Progress 