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Dear Devotees.

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Here are two more stories, if you wish to read.

#3
The third incident took place in Tampere. We had been distributing the whole day with Tattvavada Prabhu (our beloved GBC). I wanted to distribute until eight P.M. but he had gone for sauna as it had been a cold day. The day was coming to a close, when I saw a couple in a car. They looked quite well-to do. I said they looked the straightest couple of the day (I don’t know how to properly put it in English, but I mean straight in the sense of being in a very good shape). I guessed the husband had a company that he was a leader of.

It was a nice conversation and it came about the wife was slightly interested about spiritual matters. She said, "And how about Amma."

Amma, or Mata Amrtanandamayi, is an Indian saintly lady who travels around the world hugging people and speaking Mayavada philosophy.

I said, "Yes, she’s nice. It’s nice someone hugs even people she doesn’t even know. I think that attracts many people in cold countries like Finland, where people are so lonely."

The husband said, "Also we Finns could learn something from the social interactions of the people of the Mediterranean." (By this he meant Finns should also hug each other when we meet friends etc.)

I replied, "We (the monks) embrace each other on meeting."

The conversation went on and eventually the lady bought TQK. She paid ten euros for her book. The husband did not want to take his Third canto.

I was praying to Srila Prabhupada and the Lord to let him take also. Then I started canvassing very enthusiastically, "It’s a nice book with stories and wisdom, so why not take it?"

The man replied, "But I never read."

"Maybe not for yourself, but you can read for your wife. You know, a little bedtime story or some wisdom of the day."

He responded, "I really don’t read."

"But love is the determining factor. There is no ocean too wide or no mountain too high, if you have love."

The man started to melt, "So how much it is??"

I said, "You can give something, but give from your heart."

He dug some coins from his pocket. It was about eight euros. Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

Then something extraordinary happened. The wife said, "And now comes the last part."
She jumped out of the car and ran up to me and gave me a big hug.

She was smiling ecstatically and her eyes were glowing.
"Thank you so much for meeting us. The very beginning was so great that by that you sold us the first book. But even more special was that you could sell a book to my husband. He never buys any books! Thank you once again"

Then she went to the car and they departed. Actually Tattvavada Prabhu had arrived just at the time the wife had jumped out of the car to hug me. He was really surprised to see what was happening, and I had to explain him the whole story.

I felt the lady hugging me was like getting a hug from Krsna. I had tried that day my best to distribute. I had the goal of distributing 100 books, but I did not quite reach it. Anyway, I felt Krsna appreciated the endeavor and sent these two souls just at the right moment.

#4
Even more special was the fourth incident that took place. It was the 22nd December, and I wanted to distribute 100 books. I had stayed the whole day in a freezing cold parking lot that was connected to Ideapark, a huge shopping mall.

It was nine P.M. and I had distributed 91 books. I thought to myself, "I am so tired I cannot go on anymore. Tomorrow I will distribute a hundred."

I got on the car and started driving to the accommodation. While in Lempaala, I thought, "Maybe I could try the local pub. I have done it sometime before, but let’s see."

When I parked the car, I silently prayed to Lord Nityananda to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books in such a degraded place.

On entering I asked the waiter, whether I could sell some books to their customers. She agreed.

Immediately two girls (sisters) who were at the counter, addressed me, "Are you one of the Hare Krsnas?"

"Yes", I replied.

They started to explain how they were university students and had visited our temple on the teacher training course with the theology group. Such a group comes for a visit every autumn. They expressed their great interest in Vedic wisdom and their doubts about Christianity.

Then they told a most amazing story of how they had met a man who they thought to be a reincarnation of Christ. This man had been able to tell some very detailed information of their childhood, which no one could have known.

Then they became even more excited and said, "And, now you will think we are completely crazy, but we have seen a UFO." And so they went on telling their far out story.

They were not drunk, nor crazy. Then they said, "And now we meet you. There is no sense to it. We never come to this place. This time we came to this pub to buy some food for the evening meal. And what are you doing in this place?!"

Eventually they took five books for forty euros. Some other customers of the pub bought the remaining four books. By the causeless mercy of Lord Nityananda the final result for the day was 100 books!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Transcendental book distribution ki jaya!
Anantakoti Vaisnava vrnda ki jaya!

Your servant,
Avadhutacandra das