Only eight more full days left in the 2012 Srila Prabhupada book marathon. As I work full-time during the weekdays (and am unfortunately not so fired up yet to go out on books after work), I am only managing to participate during the weekends (although saying that, it hasn't been every Saturday and Sunday). However, when I am able to participate, it is always a wonderful moment when people take Srila Prabhupada's books or even give a small donation towards the movement. We know that by the mercy of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, the recipients of Srila Prabhupada's transcendental books or those who have made a donation, however small, towards his movement, have reached an important milestone in their path back to Godhead. This is very wonderful and I find it encouraging to remember this when I go out on sankirtan.
I have also heard a few times during this year's marathon about making others fortunate when going out on sankirtan. Based on this, one realisation I have had during this marathon is that I need to approach anyone and everyone when going out on books, not remaining in the "comfort zone" and approaching who I think will be favourable (after all, who am I to decide who gets the good fortune of being given the opportunity to receive Srila Prabhupada's books?!). And as Krishna has kindly allowed me to discover in order to encourage me in this regard, sometimes it's the people who you least expect who take the books or make a donation.
Anyway, enough of my rambling! You may be intrigued by the title of this post! I recently read a most-wonderful meditation (below) by HH Sivarama Swami which I'd like to share. Hope I can always meditate on this when going out on sankirtan:
"Sometimes when I dress Radha Syama I think how nice it would be if all the devotees who are serving Them outside the deity room, could all be inside serving there. Today we will do just that by worshiping Radha-Syama with offerings of flowers, which are books distributed and laksmi collected. We will all be together in Vraja doing personal service to Them. Devotees should first call Radha Syama into their heart to accept the special seat that they have prepared today, a seat made of the jewels of their marathon endeavour to date. They should then place many sweets, savouries and drinks before the Divine Couple which are prepared on fire of sankirtana devotees’ austerities, and which will be Their Lordships’ snacks for today’s excursion. Devotees should then take as their paraphernalia for worship a variety of books, and take the pujari’s vow which is to offer all the items of worship, namely the books in their book bag. Please note that one cannot neglect to offer items to the Lord, meaning all books must be distributed, devotees cannot bring any back. After arriving at their sankirtana spot devotees may offer panamas to the parampara and begin their puja. The puja will be to bathe, dress and ornament Radha Syama with flowers. Bathing takes place in the first part of the day, dressing the second and ornamentation in the third. Flowers are both the books distributed, and the donations received, the size of both indicating the increasingly exotic nature of the flowers offered. For example a Gita may be considered a garland of jasmine flowers. When a book is sold devotees may offer their flowers in the way they prefer saying idam puspam srim-klim-radha-syamabhyam
HH Sivarama Swami
Let's decorate Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara, Their altar and even the whole Temple Room with beautiful flowers! :-)
