Marathon Message 2012 by Vijaya Prabhu

SRILA PRABHUPADA QUOTES

There is no doubt about it, to distribute books is our most important activity. The temple is a place not for eating and sleeping, but as a base from which we send out our soldiers to fight with Maya. Fight with Maya means to drop thousand and millions of books into the lap of the conditioned souls. Just like during war time the bombs are raining from the sky like anything.- Srila Prabhupada

It's Krsna's mercy that there is this a time of the year thoughout the world when people receive gifts from their friends and loved ones. This fits in nicely with our Vaisnava culture because we are all about giving. . .

Giving the highest gift: knowledge about Krsna. There is nothing better that people can receive than this, for this is what everyone is looking for.

Because people are in maya, they don't know they want it, but a pure devotee like Srila Prabhupada knows what is best for them. Therefore he said, "If you want to please me, distribute my books."

He knew that the Krsna consciousness found in his books will give people the happiness they search for.

We are very fortunate to read Prabhupada's books. Why? Because by doing so we learn about how to attain love of God, we become peaceful, we attain knowledge of the soul and of Krsna, we learn what is right and wrong, we hear about great Vaisnavas surrendered to Krsna, we please Krsna and Srila Prabhupada, we become protected from maya, and we become purified.

However, devotees are not interested just in their own good fortune. They want EVERYONE to become fortunate.

Srila Prabhupada said: "Krsna is everyone's friend, and the pure devotee is carrying his friend's message. Therefore, he is a friend. If there is a nice friend, and if somebody gives information about that nice friend, he is also a friend. Therefore nobody can be an actual friend except Krsna and Krsna's representative."

Millions of people will be giving gifts to their friends and relatives this Christmas, but devotees are their real friends because we give them the best gift. All other gifts just bind the receiver to this world. So during the holiday season let's go out with great determination, humility, and sincerity and give this great process of Krsna consciousness to the world.

Your Servant,
Vijaya das
ISKCON Book Distribution Minister