Blog

By His Holiness Devamrita Swami

As our ISKCON mission approaches the 21st century, fundamental questions about book distribution arise. The real issue is not, of course, whether or not books should be distributed, but who are the book distributors?

Is book distribution an elitist activity, or a natural part of the life of every spiritually aspiring man and woman? Is book distribution the exclusive nectar of a few fortunate souls, those specialized commandos whose gallant deeds we rely upon for surcharging the whole international organization? Should the full-time sankirtana mahatmas continue to “get all the mercy” as they selflessly struggle to engage the entire non-devotee world, in spite of the lethargy of some in the devotee world? Should the book-conscience of the non-sankirtana temple devotees and congregation rest assured, knowing that the noblest ones are out doing the yajna? Put another way, do the sankirtana devotees indeed discharge the book responsibility for the entire ISKCON mission? Or should all of us feel the impetus and burden to cast in our mite, to directly participate, no matter what way, no matter how small? Wouldn’t it be sublime if everyone felt “Nothing comes between me and my individual responsibility to circulate Prabhupada’s books! No one can discharge this burden for me, though others are certainly more expert and empowered!”

These management questions offer a future bonanza for the enterprising leader who wrestles with them. I do believe that this vision is not a dream. With determination and ingenuity it can be achieved. Everyone can be inspired to feel “Prabhupada’s mercy is for us all. By distributing his books anyone can taste the nectar. Even I, a congregational member, can drink the very sankirtana mercy that the full-timers sing about!” What would happen if every soul wanting to be considered part of Prabhupada’s mission would jealously guard—as his or her sacred inheritance—the right to participate in the mass circulation of books?

To pull off such a metamorphosis, we may have to look at “the same old things” in new ways. We may have to rethink some of our underlying or hidden assumptions. We may have to change or evolve the psychological dynamics of our mini-society.

A major revolution swept the Christian world when the Bible was no longer the monopoly of the priesthood. Before the printing press and the rise of Protestantism, reading the Bible was a luxury only the clergy could relish. On behalf of the masses, the priests studied the Latin and propounded the scriptural lessons. But then the Bible was translated into native European tongues. As the Protestant movement and the printing press simultaneously spread, any layman could have his own Bible. Nowadays, any fired-up Protestant loves to distribute Bibles to others, one way or another. (In my twenty five years as a devotee, my Protestant mother has sent me at least ten, in various sizes and styles.)

Marxist-Leninism used to be a major player for three-fourths of this century by appealing to the everyday man’s desire to run the economy: “Let the people control the means of production!” The other gospel, democracy, still in vogue, offers citizens the belief that we all run the government through the electoral process: “Anyone can become President; your vote will make a difference!”

None of the above religious or mundane stratagems can compare with Lord Caitanya’s spiritual perfection of mass participation and egalitarianism. In the Caitanya-caritamrta Lord Caitanya declares, “Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Krishna consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere.”

In the context of Prabhupada’s mission, this order from Lord Caitanya would seem to mean that every one, at least on this planet, has to feel the necessity to directly participate in distributing Prabhupada’s books. We offer all obeisances to the fortunate souls who for some years absorb themselves fully in sankirtana, but we cannot allow their glorious sacrifice to let the rest of us off the hook.