Prabhupada used to say “Distribute books!

Venue: Vrindavan

01 12 2016

Today is the first day of the marathon. It’s a very auspicious day. Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental book distribution ki jay. So we should be talking, remembering book distribution service as Diti asked to do. She was asked to do worship in a given process. For us also, we worship brahmins and acarya, we serve our acarya Srila Prabhupada. One of the best services we can render on to Srila Prabhupada is by distributing his books. Book distribution was very dear to his heart. That service was given to Srila Prabhupada by Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. Right here on the banks of Radhakunda when Srila Prabhupada had come from Allahabad to join his Guru Maharaja.

Prabhupada was asked if you would ever get money print books. Then later on Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur Said: “You preach in the western world in the English language.” In the same Vrndavan at Radha Damodar, he was doing lifetime preparation. When He was translating his books, there was no help. Prabhupada was translating, typing, editing, proof-reading, traveling to Delhi in a low-class train. Now that trains are not running. They are abandoned now. He used to travel that type of low-class trains. Giving his books printed there. There is a place called Chhipiwada near Red fort. He was promoting that as an office. There is a Radha Krsna temple where he is allowed to use the facility. That was his office. And one place in Vrndavan that is Vamsi Gopal Temple that was his home also. He was promoting that. And Prabhupada was getting his books printed. Sometimes he would carry paper on his head, just to save rickshaw money and getting books printed. Sometimes he would be coming to the print press without eating. He would save money for book printing. After the books were printed, the printer would not give all the books. The printer used to say “You sell this when you have money we will give you more books”. Like that Prabhupada took so much trouble to translate and the print and publish his books. That was his instruction by his spiritual master.

And then he went overseas with those books. And on the boat Jaladuta, he sold those books to captain Pandya. He sold books worth 20 dollars. So Prabhupada had 40 rupees when he arrived in New York and he also had 20 dollars. And then book distribution continued in New York. Prabhupada was personally selling books in the books stores in sell or return basis. He would travel by bus, check how many books have been sold or not sold and check all the transactions. And then gradually the book distribution was picked up by his followers. Initially, there were some Bhagavatam but not so many copies. Millions of copies of Back to Godhead were printed. Time Magazine used to print thousands of copies.

So Prabhupada used to say that Back to Godhead also should become popular like that. And he used to call Back to Godhead as the backbone of ISKCON. Smaller and bigger books were being distributed all over the planet. In 1976 7 million books were distributed by followers from around the world. Prabhupada was pushing the book distribution. He used to say “Distribute books! Distribute books! Distribute books!” That was his instruction. Of course, he also wanted his books to be read. He had complained. Complain was disciples were not reading his books. Prabhupada wanted his books were meant for reading. Prabhupada was expecting that his followers, his disciples, grand disciples, his family members would read his books also then distribute his books. So that book distribution which is also considered as Gaudiya Vaishnava’s family business.

One business we do is printing and distributing books. Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had his printing press right in the temple. The deities could see the printing press. While printing the deities were able to see that printing press. He called that as Brhad mirdanga. The sound of this mridanga, the sound which is packed in this would reach far and wide. Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was into printing and distribute books. So Srila Prabhupada took that very seriously and that is like a number one service or business. Prabhupada used to say “He will not die, he will stay alive in his books forever.” And he would feel very very enthusiastic when a big pile of mail used to come through the post. There was no E-mail in those days. The postman would deliver a big bundle and Prabhupada would prefer to hear the sankirtan reports from those who were doing correspondence secretarial jobs during the last days. The reports would be the book score from various devotees like Rameshwar, Gopal Krishna Goswami or some temples. He used to give priority to such mail and used to hear those books scores.

I remember in November 1977, just one week before Prabhupada’s departure we were also distributing books. The whole world was distributing books, each one us were into book distribution. Pujaris would also rotate. They would also want to go and distribute the books. I had a traveling party that distributed books. The name of the party was Narada Muni traveling sankirtan party. And we were traveling like Narada muni all over. We had come one week before to see Srila Prabhupada and as we were allowed in his quarter. Prabhupada was off course lying on the bed. I reported my traveling party to Srila Prabhupada, he was so anxious and happy to hear. He asked, “Which book is selling the most?” He was hard, barely able to speak but he was enquiring, enthusing me to go on. He told, “Say more about book distribution”. And I remember I said one thing to Srila Prabhupada. That time I returned from Badrikasram. For distribution books, we had gone all the way to Badrikasram. And then returned to see how Prabhupada was doing health wise. So we reported to Prabhupada. I said, ” Srila Prabhupada while we were in Badrikasram, we had gone to see Vyasa cave (The cave of Vyasadev), so there we showed your Bhagavad Gita As It Is to Srila Vyasadev.” I thought Srila Vyasadev resides in the cave, we didn’t see him but for sure he is seeing us and the Prabhupada books. So I said, “We showed your books to Srila Vyasadev.” Srila Prabhupada liked it.

So this book distribution was very very dear to Srila Prabhupada’s heart. Books are the basics and preaching is the essence, purity is the force, the utility is the principle. So you could utilize those principles, strategy to distribute books. And this year is Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON Golden Jubilee celebration year. And this is the last month, last chance. We have been glorifying ISKCON and ISKCON is glorifying Srila Prabhupada. They are not separable. Sometimes Prabhupada would say “ISKCON is my body.” So this is the last month. The best we could do in this month is to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. I think it is GBC and book distribution ministerial together has a proposal for all of us, all the followers and members of ISKCON including members of the congregation, even visitors of ISKCON and those who are benefitted by ISKCON, each of those devotees have to distribute 50 books this year. Minimum 50 books as this year we are celebrating 50 years of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. Is everyone ready? This is the minimum.Prabhupada used to double it, triple, quadruple. Like Chanting, 16 rounds is the minimum. In one Conversation When I asked Prabhupada “Just 16 rounds Prabhupada “. He said you could chant 16000 rounds, who could stop you? But the minimum is 16 rounds. So I mean devotees distribute 1000 of books, there are such devotees amongst us. There are so many ways and means to distribute books. So get ready and I am sure this time devotees having special istagosti to make a strategy to distribute books. This morning I heard yesterday’s scores. They were just normal. Nothing big and special. I hope from tomorrow onwards scores have to be doubled and tripled and quadrupled. So devotees don’t have to wait for the people to come here, you have to go to the people. Make some plans like that. Go to Mathura, and towns nearby and everywhere.

By hook or cook, yena kena prakarena you distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books during the marathon. December is the month in which Krsna spoke Bhagavad Gita. This is also the reason we distribute more books in the marathon and emphasize the distribution of books. On the 10th of this month, there is Mokshada Ekadasi. The Battle of Kuruksetra would begin on that day and Krsna spoke Bhagavad Gita during morning hours. Battle used to begin in the morning and go on till sunset, then they would take a break and then get together. Even they would meet enemy friends. And next morning again they would become enemies and do battling and fighting. During early morning hours, Dh?taras?ra spoke,

dharma-ksetrekuru-ksetre
samavetayuyutsavah
mamaka?pan?avascaiva
kimakurvatasanjaya

Translation: Dhrtaras?ra said: O Sanjaya, after my sons and the sons of Pandu assembled in the place of pilgrimage at Kuruk?etra, desiring to fight, what did they do?

gita sugita kartavya kimanyah shastra vistaraih
ya svayam padmanabhasya mukha-padmad vinihsrita [Gita Mahatyam]

Translation: The wonderful song called Bhagavad Gita has been spoken by the lotus mouth of the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself. What other scriptures do we need to seek then?

Something that comes out of the mouth of Krsna is also Krsna. So Bhagavad is non-different from Krsna. So when we distribute Bhagavad Gita that means we are distributing Krsna. It is Krsna in the form of His speech and sound.

krsna se tomara, krsna diteparo,
tomara sakatiache
ami to kangala, krrsna krsna boli
dhai tava pache pache

Translation: Krsna is yours. You have the power to give Him to me. I am simply your servant running behind you shouting, “Krsna! Krsna!” [OheVaisnavaThakura song by BhaktivinodaThakura]

That Krsna is with you in the form of Bhagavad Gita, you could give that Krsna to others, be kind and share Krsna to make the whole world Krsna consciousness. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also gives this instruction:

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa [CC Madhya 7.128]

Translation: Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krsna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita ki jay

Gita jayanti mahotsav ki jay.

Srila Prabhupada transcendental book distribution ki jay
Krsna-Balaramaki Jay
Nitai Gaura Premanande
HarihariBol

Book Distribution- Very dear to the heart of Srila Prabhupada

01-12-2016

Vrindavan [22:49]

You can please Srila Prabhupada by distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. Book distribution service was very dear to his heart. The service was given to Srila Prabhupada by Bhakti Siddhana Saraswati Thakur. Right here on the banks of Radhakunda, when Srila Prabhupada had come from Allahabad to join his guru Maharaja, Prabhupada was asked, ‘If you ever get money, what you should do? Print books!” And in the same Vrindavan, later on of course, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur said, ‘You preach in the western world, in English language. In same Vrindavan, at Radha Damodar, life time in preparation, he was preparing, preparing, preparing to go to the west. And how he would go to the west? He would go with the books, books in English language. So he was translating the books, the first canto.

So Prabhupada was translating, and that time he had no help. Prabhupada was translating, typing, editing, proof reading, travelling to Delhi in the third class train. Now that train does not even exit these days, third class. It was so low class, it has been abandoned. Prabhupada used to travel on that kind of class and getting his books printed there. He had a place called Chippiwada, near Red fort. Prabhupada was promoting that this is my office.

That was his office, the Chippiwada, little place, Radha Krishna temple, where he was allowed to use that facility. That was his office and one place in Vrindavan, that was not Radha Damodar temple, the other one, Bamsi Gopal temple, that was his home or something. And then Prabhupada was getting his books printed. Sometimes he would carry the papers on his head from where he would buy, purchase paper, to the printer, just to save riksa money and getting the books printed. Sometimes he would be coming to the printing press without eating; again he had no money or he would save money so that he could invest that money in book printing.

After the books were printed, the printer would not give all the books. ‘Oh take hundred books. You sell these and when you have money, you pay and then we will give you more books.’ Like that whole thing started. Like that Prabhupada took so much trouble to translate and print, publish his books; that was the instruction of his spiritual master.

And then he went overseas with those books. And on the Jaladuta boat he was selling books. He ended up selling to captain Pandya. He sold books worth 20 dollars. So Prabhupada had in fact 40 Rs when he arrived in New York and he also had 20 dollars from the sale of books and then book distribution continued in New York. Of course Prabhupada was personally selling books in the book stores on ‘sell or return’ basis. He would drive on a bus and check how many books have been sold, not sold and so transactions were going on. And then gradually, gradually the book distribution was picked up by his followers.

Initially there were some Bhagavatam, but not so many copies, ‘Back to Godhead’ were printed in million copies. I think the target was, the times magazine prints, hundreds and thousands of copies, ‘Back to Godhead should also become popular like that.’ And he used to call back to Godhead as the backbone of ISKCON, backbone, BTG. And then smaller books and bigger books and then the books were being distributed all over the planet and I think in 76, within one year 7 million books were distributed by his followers from around the world.

Like that Prabhupada was pushing book distribution, ‘distribute books, distribute books, distribute books,’ that was his instruction, emphasis. Of course he also wanted his books to be read, ‘read my books, read my books, read my books’, he did not say in those words, but he did complained, ‘I have one complaint about you my disciples.

Complaint is, what is the complaint? You don’t read my books or not read enough. So Prabhupada wanted, his books were meant for reading and first one to read those books, Prabhupada was expecting that his followers, his disciples, his grand-disciples, his family members would read those books and also then distribute his books. So that book distribution which is also considered our, Gaudiya Vaishnavas’ consider that as family business. The business that we do and that is printing and selling and distributing books.

Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur had his printing press right in the temple, I don’t know where exactly, but the Deity could see the printing press, while the rolling, printing, the Deities were able to see the printing press and he called that as ‘Brihad mridanga’. Brihad, the sound of this mridanga the sound that is packed in these books would reach far and wide. That is Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur. So Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati, he was in the book distribution, printing books, distribute books. So Srila Prabhupada took that very seriously and that is later on number one service, business, seva, worship that is distribution of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

Prabhupada used to say, he will not die, he will stay alive in his books forever. And he would feel very very enthusiastic with those who were doing correspondence secretarial job, during last days. Big pile of mail coming through, there was no email those days everything the postman would deliver the big bundle. And Prabhupada would prefer to hear, ‘open that, oh this sankirtana report in here, something from Rameshwar, something from Gopal Krishna Gosvami or this is from this temple, some book score, Oh open that.’ So giving priority to such mails and Prabhupada used to hear those book scores.

I remember in 77 November, just one week before Prabhupada’s departure, we were also distributing books. Whole world was distributing books, each one of us were into book distribution, yes Maharaja, remember? Absolutely! Everyday of the year, not only the marathon, every devotee, every Tom, Dick and? Harry would be distributing books. Only pujaris would stay behind during the marathon. They would also rotate.

They would also want to go and distribute books. So I had come, I had a travelling party, that would distributed books. The name of our travelling party was Narada Muni Sankirtana Party. And we would be travelling all over like Narada Muni. So we had come one week before to see Srila Prabhupada and as we were allowed in his quarter. Prabhupada was of course in bed. And guess what? We gave report, I gave report of my travelling party to Srila Prabhupada and he was so anxious to hear, so happy to hear, ‘Oh which book is selling the most?’ There was hardly, barely he was able to speak, but he was enquiring, enthusing me to go on. Say more about the book distribution; say more about the book distribution. And I remember I had said one thing to Srila Prabhupada, that time I had returned from Badrikasram, distributing books. We had gone all the way to Badrikasram and then returned to see how Srila Prabhupada is doing health wise. So we reported to Prabhupada. ‘Srila Prabhupada,’ I said, ‘While we were at Badrikasram we had gone to see the Vyasagupha, the cave of Vyasadeva. So there we showed your Bhagavad Gita As It Is to Srila Vyasadeva.

Little bit humorous way of saying this, because I thought you know, Srila Vyasadeva resides in the cave. We did not see him but for sure he is seeing us and for sure the books, Prabhupada’s books we were carrying, he must have seen, Srila Vyasadeva must have seen. So we said,we showed your books to Srila Vyasadeva. And SrilaPrabhupada liked to hear that Bhagavad Gita was shown to Srila Vyasadeva.

So this book distribution was very, very dear to Srila Prabhupada’s heart and the books are, books are what? The basis! Books are the basis and preaching is the essence, purity is the force, utility is the principle. So you could utilize all the principle strategies to distribute books. And this year is Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON’s golden jubilee celebration year. And this is the last month, last chance. We had been glorifying ISKCON and glorifying ISKCON is glorifying Srila Prabhupada. They are not separable. ‘ISKCON is my body,’ sometimes he used to say, ‘ISKCON is my body.’ So this is last month. So the best thing we could do during last month is to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books.

I think it is GBC, may be book distribution ministry also was behind or may be together collaboration, there is a proposal for all of us, all the members of ISKCON, all the followers of ISKCON, including members of congregation and others, even visitors of ISKCON and those who are being benefited by ISKCON, connected to ISKCON, each of those devotees, members, associates, followers, congregation, they have to distribute 50 books this year, minimum 50 books as this is the 50 th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON. Haribol! Are you ready? Sleeping?

‘Double it’, Prabhupada used to say, ‘double it, triple, quadruples’. This is the minimum, like chanting 16 rounds is minimum and when in one conversation, I asked Srila Prabhupada, ‘just 16 rounds Prabhupada?’ ‘You could chant 16 thousand, who could stop you? You could chant 16,000. But
minimum is 16 rounds, you could chant 16000.’ So devotees distribute thousands of books, each devotee, there are such devotees amongst us, amongst the members of our temple devotees. So there are so many ways and means to distribute books. So get ready and I am sure this temple is doing
special Istagosties to make a strategy to distribute books. And this morning I heard yesterday’s scores.

They were just normal, nothing big, nothing special. I hope from tomorrow onwards the scores have to be doubled and tripled and quadrupled. So devotees don’t have to wait for the people to come here, you could go to the people. Make some plans like that. Go to Mathura, go to towns nearby, or go here, go there, go everywhere. By hook or crook, yena kena prakarena, so like that you distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books during marathon.
And this is also the reason why we distribute books, more books or do marathon during December and emphasize distributing Bhagavad Gita, as December is the month that Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita; next Ekadasi, Moksada ekadasi, on the 10 th of this month, the battle of Kuruksetra would begin. (Gm
made sound of conch) Conchshells! And that day Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita. What time of the day?

Morning, good, very good! Krishna spoke Bhagavad Gita during morning hours, because battles used to begin in the morning and would go until sunset and then they would take a break and they would get together and even they would meet enemies and friends and next morning enemies again, battling,
fighting. Yeah, so during early morning hours, Krishna spoke,

dharmak setre kuruk setre samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavaschaiva kim akurvat sanjaya [BG 1.1]

gita su-gita kartavya kim anyaih sastra-vistaraih

What need is there for another sastra when Bhagavad Gita exists, Bhagavad Gita is there, this is said in Gita mahatmya, greatness of Bhagavad Gita.

ya svayam padmanabhasya mukha-padmad vinihsrita

Bhagavad Gita, emanated from the lotus mouth of Sri Krishna, that Bhagavad Gita. Something that comes out of the mouth of Krishna is also Krishna. So Bhagavad Gita is non different from Krishna. So when we distribute Bhagavad Gita, we are distributing, take Krishna, this is Krishna in the form of speech, sound, what is spoke, this is Krishna.

So krishna se tomar Krishna dite par tomar sakati ache

So that Krishna is with you in the form of Bhagavad Gita and you could give that Krishna to others. Be kind and share Krishna to make the whole world Krishna conscious. And talking of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He also gave instructions,

jare dakho tare kaho Krishna upadesa

What is this Krishna upadesa? This refers to Bhagavad Gita. Jare dekho tare kaho Krishna upadesa, upadesa, instructions of Krishna.

Srimad Bhagavad Gita ki Jai!
Gita Jayanti mahotsav ki Jai!
Srila Prabhupada transcendental book distribution ki Jai!

Distribute Bhagavatam sets on the occasion of Bhadra purnima
Venue: Airport, Nagpur
Dated: September 25th 2018
Occasion: Srila Prabhupada’s Sannyasa Day Anniversary

Where did Prabhupada take sannyasa? In Keshav Gaudiya Math in Mathura. He had the title of Bhaktivendanta before and later on Swami was added. He was Bhaktivedanta before sannyasa. He was Abhya Carana and on today’s occasion he was called Bhaktivedanta Swami. Srila Bhakti Pragyan Keshav Goswami Maharaja gave him sannyasa who was also Srila
Prabhupada’s the god brother and spiritual master of Narayana Maharaja. It was the year 1959.

Before that Prabhupada was preaching in Jhansi. He took vanaprastha and started living in Jhansi. He had plans of establishing Sarvabhaum sabha in Jhansi. He was also thinking of youth preaching. He as planing to advertise “Youth wanted” in the newspaper to train them. Jhansi devotees say, “ISKCON was conceived in Jhansi and delivered in New York.” Before that Prabhupada was in Allahabad and running De Pharmacy and sometimes Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru would visit his shop to buy medicines. Many Kumbha melas also took place when Prabhupada was in Prayag. Prabhupada has spoken about his experiences. In 1932 Prabhupada did Vraja-mandala parikrama with his Guru Maharaja, Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. After that he received initiation in Allahabad in 1933.

During initiation some of the disciples informed Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur that Prabhupada was Abhay Babu. Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakur had responded “Yes, yes I know him. He hears Hari katha with full attention.” Abhay Babu was hearing Bhagavat katha with rapt attention. Such were the memories Prabhupada’s spiritual master had of him. Prabhupada’s wife sold his Bhagavat Grantha, not with the intension that people will read it, but she bought biscuits to have with the tea. When Prabhupada came to know of her actions, he was very upset.

Then again in Allahabad Prabhupada asked his wife, “You want tea or me.” Her answer was tea. Prabhupada took it very seriously so he said, “You be happy with your Tea. I am going,” and left home. He would come and go since he was a pharmaceutical agent, but this was the last time. He moved forward and never looked back and never came back home. This was in the early 50’s. In  ’51- ’52 he went to Jhansi and started preaching there. He had some difference with the landlord of the place where he was living in Noida so he move to Mathura.

Prabhupada had a deity of Caitanya Mahaprabhu which he took with him to Mathura Gaudiya Math. Those Deities are still there today in Keshav Gaudiya Math. It was there on this day that Prabhupada got sannyasa. Today is Purnima. That was in 1959 and now it is 2018. So exactly 60 years ago Prabhupada got sannyasa.

This purnima is Bhadrapada masa Purnima. Today  was the last day of the recitation of the Srimad-Bhagavatam by Sukadeva Goswami. Sukadeva Goswami recited Bhagavata katha to Pariksit Maharaja for 7 days and that katha ended today. It must have been in the evening of the 7th day that the 11th and 12th canto was recited. Exactly today is also the anniversary of that katha. Do you all remember, especially those who had all had come to Shukratal? Today Sukadeva Goswami was winding up the katha recitation. Sukadeva Goswami’s last sentences to Parikshit were, “Don’t think that you will die. Animals think like this. So give up this kind of intelligence. Saying these words the katha ended. Sukadeva Goswami left that place because the snake was waiting for the katha to end. over. Sukadeva Goswami knew this had to happen. He knew that Parikshit would go back to kingdom of God. Whatever happens to the body let it happen but Parikshit Maharaja will go back home. Just by hearing Bhagavad- gita on Mokshada Ekadasi, Arjuna achieved liberation on the day Mokshada Ekadasi, Gita jayanti.

nasto mohah smrtir labdha (BG 18.73)

Now I am free of all illusion. So on Gita Jayanti – Gita influenced Arjuna and Arjuna was free of all doubts. Like that today Parikshit maharaja went back to Godhead. Today is the great day. It is written in the Bhagavatam that those who place the Bhagavat on a golden throne and distribute it will return to the kingdom of God .  This is the result of distribution of Srimad Bhagavatam, and that is why I am here to do some distribution. Upon Bhima Prabhu’s request I had made the video on behalf of the BBT Campaign which is promoting the distribution of Bhagavat Bhagavatam today. Have you distributed any books? In Noida 20 sets of Bhagavatam have been distributed. I told Bhima Prabhu, director of BBT, “In my zone we will distribute 108 Bhagavatam sets. We have 10 temples, so we will distribute 108 sets in 10 temples. How many for Nagpur – 11 sets. Do we have 11 Bhagavatam sets to distribute in the next week? The price is Rs 4000 per set.

Distribute them to devotees or katha premis. Keeping Bhagavatam at home is like keeping the Lord at home. Bhagavat is Lord Himself. So distribute 1 or 2 sets.  Is there anyone here to give or receive? Partha Prabhu has 2 of them. Then you should donate 1 to someone. Remember someone who might take it or if you remember someone’s birthday,
anniversary. Like that it is easy to distribute 11 sets.

Grantharaj Srimad Bhagwatam ki Jai

Prabhupada had started translating some books like Easy journey to other planets, Isopanisad etc. before his sannyasa. From Mathura Prabhupada then went to Vrndavana and started living in Radha Damodar mandir. There he started translating Bhagavatam into English. That was his instruction from his Guru to preach in English. Prabhupada was thinking that there should be some books in English, so he translated the 1st canto of Bhagavatam with word to word meaning translation and purport. Prabhupada did this in Radha Damodar temple. He wrote , he typed, he edited. He was doing everything himself. He would go to Delhi by train, travelling in 3rd class. Not by plane. Nowadays there is no 3rd class train, but I have seen it.  There are two parts of Delhi – one part of Delhi is across Yamuna, on the Eastern bank of Yamuna. He found one printer there, so that’s where he went. After sannyasa he started translating Bhagavatam. There is a connection here between Prabhupada sannyasa and the completion of the recitation of Bhagavatam. Prabhupada took sannyasa and translated the Bhagavatam.Prabhupada took  200 set of Bhagavatam  to America. Sukadeva Goswami katha is world renowned.

Bhagavatam is being distributed in many languages, In our mission ‘Books are the Basis.’ Bhagavatam is praman. Every day in the temple we have Bhagavatam class and every year we have Bhagavat saptah. Like this Prabhupada become the representative of Vyasa Dev. Vyasa means wide spread, expansion. Bhagavat was composed by Vyasa Dev and he taught it to his son Sukadeva Goswami. Just like Valmiki taught Ramayana to Luv and Kush and they further preached. Valmiki was thinking, “I have composed Ramyana, but who will preach.” He was thinking like this and at same time the bell rang. “May we come in, Sir?” 2 small boys came inside. Valmiki understood  that these are the ones who will preach. So Valmiki taught them the full Ramayana. In the same way Bhagavat was also taught by Vyasa Dev to Sukadeva Goswami.  So Sukadeva Goswami became the 1st speaker of Bhagavatam. Kaliyuga was only 30 years when Lord Krsna went back to His abode, same day Kaliyuga started. After 30 years Sukadeva Goswami recited to Parikshit Maharaja. Parikshit was king for 30 years. As soon as the Pandava’s heard that Lord Krsna left they took sannyasa and they enthroned King Parikshit.

So Krsna’s departure, Pandava’s taking sannyasa and Parikshit becomes King of the world. He was cursed by Shringi and the 7 days the katha happened . That time Kaliyuga was 30 years as described in Padma Purana. That was the first official Bhagavad katha Same katha Suta Goswami was also hearing, even Vyasa Dev was hearing the katha from his son and disciple. He himself became the srota. Narada Muni was also there. Next katha was in Naimisharanya where Suta Goswami spoke . He spoke to the sages in Naimisharanya.

So when you read Bhagavatam, which I am sure you all do do you read in between comes Suta uvaca. What we are reading is recited by Suta Goswami. Suta Goswami is reciting exactly the same one which he heard from Sukadeva Goswami. After Suta uvaca comes Sukha uvaca.  If someone asks Suta Goswami a question he would say that Sukadeva Goswami would answer like this . So Granth Raj Srimad Bhagwatam is the topmost scripture, brilliant as the sun. Kaliyuga came and we started sleeping in katha . Due to mode of ignorance we can’t see anything. Our vision is destroyed. When the Lord departed, but at the same time He was staying back in the form of katha. Krsna told Uddhava this. When Uddhava came to know that Lord Krsna is going, he also wanted to go with Him. Krsna rejected that idea. Krsna said, “I will exist in the form of katha.” When we hear katha we will see the form of the Lord. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also used to hear Bhagavatam katha from Gadadhar Pandit.

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare