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Preaching is done alone

Gour Govinda Maharaja sent a long letter from Bhubaneswar, lamenting the lack of association and help for pushing on the preaching. "I often feel myself dejected and desperate in doing Hari Kirtan, because Kirtan is never done alone. It requires the company of devotees. I know not how unfortunate I am that sufficient number of suitable devotees are not coming here to help me with Kirtan." He has two foreign devotees with him, but others seem to just come and go. "They cannot adjust themselves in this solitary piece of land, where there are no modern amenities and city surroundings. They always dream of their previous centers, where there are all sorts of attractions, i.e. nice temple, nice deities, nice prasadam, nice company of devotees, nice rooms to put up etc. Whereas here is nothing ... only a mud hut in a vast piece of solitary land."

Apart from this, he said that the local people were all cheaters. "They say very sweet words, but do little and they always try to cheat me. They are very much attached to their own business and sense gratification. They always try to get some material benefit from our association. When they fail to derive it, they desert. They are not very much serious. They are superfluous and I have to work here through them. Kindly enlighten me on how to deal with them and make my preaching effective."

In his reply Srila Prabhupada encouraged him to continue, and even glorified his isolation as part of our tradition. "Preaching actually is done alone, that is the experience we get from the previous acaryas. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was traveling alone and with great difficulty His associates induced Him to accept an assistant.

He gave practical reasons why it was not possible to send more men. "So far foreign devotees are concerned I can bring immediately 500 devotees from foreign countries but the government will not allow them to stay. If any devotee comes he has to go back again after three months or six months, at 10,000 Rs. expenditure. Still I am struggling and whenever it is possible I am bringing foreign devotees to preach in India and as you say the Indians are cheaters even though not all of them. The majority who come and join us, it has been experienced, they are not sincere. Under the circumstances what can be done, I do not know. ... But one hope is there that you are publishing in the Orissan language and it is being distributed and your writing is approved by me. So if you concentrate on these literature printing matters and try to distribute as far as possible that is our great success. You can construct immediately a nice temple there but you say there is no devotees so how temple management can be executed? This is the problem. So you are conversant in the local language. If you bring some sincere souls to join you by preaching then it will be successful. Just like in Europe and America I went singlehandedly and by preaching work the boys responded and therefore we can see some light of success. Unfortunately in India this spirit is lacking. In India generally the young men are after money and woman, this is natural. They have no sacrificing spirit. That is the difference."


- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu