(from "Following Srila Prabhupada" volume 9, by Yadubara Prabhu)

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- One morning during the recent Prabhupada marathon, shortly after arriving at our sankirtan spot, I opened a box full of Srimad-Bhagavatams. A curious lady came by and looked over my shoulder. She was ninety-three years old!

"What is this?" she asked.

Usually such old people don't buy anything; they just tell us how big their library is and how learned they are. Expecting she was like that, I tried to at least give her the Holy Name. "This is for Krishna!", I said.

"What?" she asked.

I almost shouted, "This is for KRISHNA, the SUPREME LORD! KRISHNA!"

"Can you show me a book, son?"

Yesterday we met a nice boy at the PIE-IX Metro Station. He had been sitting close to Bhakta Kurt and me as we rode the train reading aloud the pastimes of Dhruva Maharaja. When we all got off at the same metro stop, we saw him at the top of the escalator waiting for the bus. As we approached him, he looked like he wanted to say something to us. Hopeful that he hadn't felt infringed upon by our reading, I acknowledged him and we began a conversation. The first thing he said was how peaceful a presence we had. Being an especially sensitive person, he said, he was very aware of people's moods, and he appreciated that there was something rare about our appearance and attitude, something different from the depressive mood he was used to encountering.

Dear devotees,
Recently I visited Murwillumbah, situated in the Tweed valley area of northern New South Wales Australia, near to New Govardhana farm in Austrailia.

While in the area I visited a Prabhupada disciple by the name of Krsna Laulya Mataji. She and her husband travelled a lot helping start temples in U.S.A, Hawaii & Australia.

She told me that her family grew up on the same street as Barak Obama.

Her brother has been a friend of his ever since. When they where all teenagers they would go to the local Hare Krsna Temple and Barak came a few times and really enjoyed the kirtan and Prasadam.

From the BBT Newsletter for July 2010

Nectar of the Month
STALKER OR SEEKER?

Book Distribution Stories from the Marathon.
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Panca Tattva (Lord Chaitanya and His Associates) sends SMS

The Supersoul is helping in the marathon--even apparently "gone high-tech."

Here is an extract sent to me about one devotee, soon to begin his advanced degrees in environmental science:

He prayed intensely to the Panca-tattva before embarking upon his first full day of book distribution. Returning in the evening

"...O lifter of Govardhana Hill, O protector of the surabhi cows, O friend of the cowherd boys, O helper of the devotees, O Lord Mukunda (Krsna), I pray that for You, who wear a great and splendid crown of peacock feathers, whose restless sidelong glances stun the wandering bumblebees, and who enjoys transcendental pastimes in a cottage in the forest by the shore of the Yamuna River, I may always feel the purest love."

From Govinda Virudavali - Calling out to Govinda by Srila Rupa Goswami

"A devotee of the Lord cannot give up the service of the Lord, for he is ordered by his spiritual master. Pure devotees like Narada and Nityananda Prabhu take up the order of the spiritual master as the sustenance of life. They do not mind what becomes of the future of their lives." (SB 2.8.6, purport).

In a New York airport, he answered the question "Why have you come to the West," by saying: "I have come to give you a brain. Your society is headless."

What are the characteristics of vaisnava brahmana, a first-class man, whose task it is to guide society? Here is what Prabhupada said in a lecture in Chicago (July 6, 1975).

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spoke to Haridas Thakur -

“On this earth there are many living entities,” the Lord said, “some moving and some not moving. What will happen to the trees, plants, insects and other living entities? How will they be delivered from material bondage?”

Haridas Thakur replied -

"My Lord, the moving entities who have heard Your loud Sankirtana have already been delivered from bondage to the material world, and after the nonmoving living entities like trees hear it, there is an echo. Actually, however, it is not an echo: it is the kirtana of the nonmoving living entities. All this, although inconceivable, is possible by Your mercy."

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, 3.67, 70-71

Prabhupada: Why your dress is not as a sannyasi?

Tusta Krsna: The robes make people uncomfortable, Prabhupada. They see you as different and can't relate. They won't relax enough to listen then I wear robes.

Prabhupada: But sannyasis must dress in saffron with robes and shaven head.

Tusta Krsna: I am following all the principles, but the dress is external and superficial. Why should we let it hamper the preaching?

Prabhupada: If the dress is superficial, why should you change your dress to please people who are so serious about superficial? (Pause) You understand my point? Superficial people become controlled by superficial and external things. Why do you dress to please superficial people? You should dress to please Krsna.