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Prabhupada talked enthusiastically about village-to-village preaching

In the afternoon Karttikeya drove us five miles to a local village for a program. In the car Prabhupada talked enthusiastically about village-to-village preaching. He is eager to see this program established and said that mass propaganda of sankirtana and prasadam distribution will save India. He said that if programs are arranged he will travel in his new car (when it comes), taking a dozen men all around Gujarat to every village. 

Upon arrival, he was welcomed grandly and taken to an open area where a thousand or so village people had gathered. The leading men lined up and offered Prabhupada at least twenty or thirty garlands. Prabhupada chanted for a few minutes and then began to speak; but it was so noisy, with all the women and children, he stopped. He chanted again, this time getting the crowd to join in. Again he lectured, this time to a quiet audience. For twenty minutes he gave a simple explanation of spiritual knowledge and impressed on them the need to lead a pure life following God's laws. His main intent was to get them to chant and take prasadam. At the conclusion he returned by car directly to the pandala in Sanand for the evening program, which continued to be very well attended. 

At least 4,000-5,000 people turned out and sat quietly in the cool night air to hear him deliver an enlightening discourse on Bhagavad-gita (7.1) in English, with Jasomatinandana translating. Tonight's topic was about asakti, converting our attachment to Krishna. He stressed the role that a pure devotee plays in creating opportunities for the materially attached people to take shelter of Krishna. He repeated, as he continually does, his appeal to the Indian people to take up the mission entrusted to them by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. "Krishna bhakti, attachment for Krishna, is quite natural. It is already there. Simply it has to be awakened. If you engage yourself to hear about Krishna, then your heart will be purified and your original Krishna consciousness will be awakened. 

For this purpose Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also advises, param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam, 'All glories to the sankirtana movement,' because simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, everything will automatically come. The sankirtana movement, Krishna consciousness movement, the more you chant Hare Krishna maha-mantra, the heart disease, material enjoyment, that will decrease, and then you will understand what is your position, and you will be gradually attracted by Krishna. This is the test of bhakti, that if you engage yourself twenty-four hours in devotional service, then immediately you become liberated." He offered them the example of Dhruva Maharaja to illustrate that even one who is not free from material desire can still be accepted by Krishna and go back to Godhead. "Krishna is so nice, so liberal, that if you have got a little tinge of aspiration He will fulfill you, and at the same time, you'll go back to home, back to Godhead. Krishna is all-powerful, almighty, full with six opulences. So if you have got any material desire, that also Krishna can fulfill, but you stick to Krishna so that your asakti will be increased. If we want to go back to home, back to Godhead, then we must increase our attachment for Krishna, and by that process we can understand Krishna, what He is. Bhaktya mam abhijanati. Then our door to go back to home, back to Godhead is clear." 

It was a long lecture and very late when he returned to the palace. He looked strained. He said that he was experiencing heart palpitations because of air in his chest. So many programs are clearly too much. Only one per day should be the limit, otherwise he is becoming ill.


Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 1 by Hari Sauri Dasa





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