PADA: Kanhaiya Prabhu reporting from Seattle Alki Beach Rath Yatra

August 11, 2010: Dear Devotees of the Lord, Please accept my humble obesiances with all Glories to our beloved Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada.

With due respect to all devotees of the Lord, I would like to share an incident that happened at Seattle Alki Beach Rath Yatra yesterday.

On Friday my wife and three kids decided to drop me off to work and visit to Sammamish Vedic Culture Society Hare Krishna center and render some service in kitchen to make Ekadashi Prashaad and to prep for Rath Yatra.

Starting from 9:00 Am till 7:00 PM they continued to help until I came. I was happy to see them engaged in some service, which they also like to do every now and then. On Saturday we had a program at our ashram in Snohomish thus couldn’t go to Rath Yatra, which was for Saturday and Sunday.

So early Sunday we all got up and went for Rath Yatra in a very happy mood to go there and serve in whatever capacities we can. Per my Spiritual Master’s orders I took some “ON CHANTING HARE KRISHNA” books and “LIFE AFTER DEATH” in my backpack.
I am not able to do much book distribution as much as I should due to my family life and kids and work etc but still I try to hand out Srila Prabhupada’s original books to whoever I see and wherever I visit for any program specially some religious kirtan where people are in a little sane state of mind.

My intention is not to bring people into anxiety but to simply carry out orders of Srila Prabhupada, who keeps reminding me to distribute books. Anyways so I was there – didn’t start book distribution right away and started helping in one of the food stalls – next to where my kids were helping, and next to where my wife was cooking.

So after 3 hours, we decided to take a break and eat something and we had some prashaadam. After prashaadam, kids and wife went back to their stalls to assist and I could not stop myself distributing “ON CHANTING HARE KRISHNA” books to the people who were visiting there.

Since I was being stopped from doing book distribution (same book) an year ago in same festival by saying that the City doesn’t allow us to do any literature distribution to this festival, as they would not get any grant (if i do this) from city etc etc..(it was another way for them to convey to me to stop book distribution).

Anyways last year I said fine I won’t do it and I continued rendering other services. So this year I thought not to bring anyone into anxiety and will not do it in the festival area. And I stood right outside the entry exit area of the festival and started distributing the same books to people. Some took it some did not. In fact one Mexican person named Jose approached me and asked me what’s this (books in my hand). I explained briefly to him about four problems of life and he immediately got interested and asked me if he could also distribute some books with me.

I happily gave him a bunch of books and he also started distributing books with me. He told me that he doesn’t even know what’s written on top cover and asked me what is “Krishna”.

Anways he continued doing books with me. And in the mean time Seattle Iskcon president Naresh (Nand Suta Das – an Indian body) approached me with the very aggressive way and started asking me what I am doing, which books are these? I told them these are Srila Prabhupada Books and not mine or yours.

Being an Indian body myself, I know this person but I was so shocked to see his attitude after that. He took one book from my hands and started reading and started looking for some fault (some Ritvik stamps or info etc.) in it. Althought I had no intension to propagate any Ritvik philosophy there, I never did. He pointed me to the website address the book was pointing to, which was “Krishnabooks.org”.

That was the first time he pointed me to that address on the page. Before that I wasn’t even aware that that site address is non Iskcon site and was considered a Ritvik site. Anyway even if I did know this, my intension was not to direct people to any site, I was very humbly trying to direct people to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. Oh, as soon as they see the picture, they understand it is Krishna. (Conversation with Srila Prabhupada 3/2/75)

In fact I was telling everyone that Iskcon in Sammamish have many festivals like this and everyday programs and they should come to the “TEMPLE” not to my house or not to any other temple.

So this person Naresh, started crushing that book and literally, in a very aggressive and ruthless way, said to me “Get the hell out of here and take your shit (he meant the books) out of here and if I want to distribute this Ritvik shit then dare to conduct your own festivals.”

He continued, that I am not welcome in the temple anymore and banned from temple. I was stunned and shocked to see him in this aggressive demonic attitude. I could never expect someone to behave with me like this in public specially over on distributing books, which are written and authorized by Srila Prabhupada Himself.

It was His (Srila Prabhupada’s festival), these all Iskcon temples are His temples, on what authority He (this so called authority of Naresh) ban me coming to the temple? He started crushing the book and I asked him to give me the book but he did not.

Momentarily I considered it my insult, so I tolerated it. And left place to call my wife and kids to wrap up and leave. My family was also so shocked to know about this whole episode, and wanted to speak with this fellow.

But then I told her not to argue with him, as then I could not have tolerated him saying anything to my wife or else I would have dug his grave right there. By then I also realized that since it was not just my insult, it was Srila Prabhupada’s insult and His books insult, so I decided to at-least say something to him. So while Rath Yatra was passing he was starring at me as if he will burn me right from his eyes.

I took Lord Jagannath’s final darshan and apologize for this whole episode due to my book distribution. I called him and he very aggressively approached me (as if he is about to kill me) and I told him it’s not his temple or his dad’s temple that he can ban me to come and he then retaliated and told me that he will make sure that I don’t enter the temple.

Meanwhile people intervened and my wife pulled me away to leave that spot. I left the place with my family never to return to this place where such demons are becoming authorities and preventing some innocent persons, who are trying to make some meaning out of their lives, and sincerely trying to follow their Spiritual Master’s orders of book distribution.

The beautiful Deities “Shri Radha Nila Madhava” were the only reason we used to go to the Temple, but I guess, that’s it for them also. I had never preached “Ritvik” philosophy to any one in that temple and always used to go there, with my entire family to serve, and still they have so much hatred for me and my family – I could not believe this.

(Conversation with Srila Prabhupada 3/2/75) Devotee (4): We were thinking about how everyone knows about Krishna now. In the United States they didn’t know before, but when they see this little picture on the book, they all know, “That is Krishna.” We hand them the book, and we say, “We’re passing these out.” They say, “Oh, that is Krishna.” …(Book distribution) is so successful that everyone has learned about Krishna.

Prabhupada: Oh, as soon as they see the picture, they understand it is Krishna.

Devotee: When they see the book they think, “Oh, the Hare Krishna devotees. I saw them on the street.” When they see the picture of Krishna on the book, they think of the devotees chanting.

Devotee:Sometimes, Srila Prabhupada, people travel from one airport to another, and they’ll get a book in Chicago and then they’ll come to Atlanta and we’ll approach them to give them another book, and they’ve already gotten one book in Chicago. And they ask, “How many of there are you around the world?” Because everywhere they go, in every airport they are getting books. So they think that there must be millions. They think that there must be millions of Hare Krishna devotees, because everywhere they go they’re being approached to take a book.

Devotee: I once asked a boy in Washington temple how many devotees he thought we had, and he said, “Oh, I cannot guess.” And I said, “Make an educated guess.” And he said, “Well, I’ve seen you here and I think maybe two million.” (laughter) And I said, “Three thousand. Now just see the potency of Hare Krishna. You’re thinking we’re two million, and we’re simply a handful.” He became a little convinced. So our books make us millions. People think we are millions because of the books.

Prabhupada: Push this on. Then our movement is successful. All Americans should have at least one set of books. That is not very difficult for them, to purchase one set books. But it will be a good asset for them if they keep and see sometimes. Any line he reads, he will get transcendental knowledge. Anyone who reads Krishna book, he will become Vaisnava. That’s a fact.

Devotee: But we have no attraction for Krishna. You are attracting us to Krishna.

Prabhupada: (laughing) Actually Krishna is attracting. Like one magnetic stone is attracting one piece of iron, and then another, then another.

Devotee: We are becoming happy by distributing your books.

Prabhupada: Thank you. They are Krishna’s books. (Conversation with Srila Prabhupada 3/2/75)

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who personally tasted the nectar of ecstatic love for Krishna and then instructed His devotees how to taste it. Thus He enlightened them about ecstatic love of Krishna to initiate them into transcendental knowledge. (Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami – C.C. Antya lila 16:1)

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare