Page 18 - Patropadesa (English)

6 PATROPADEÇA

years by Indians seeing Westerners taking up their culture (which
they had an enormous inferiority complex about) and especially
because of the activities of ISKCON.
So we can say that for those who were forgetting Rama, or not very
strongly remembering Him, the current agitation has been good
for them. However, the communal violence which has erupted
in the wake of the agitation cannot at all be pleasing to Rama
and in fact, gives a very bad name to India and Hinduism. Why
people mercilessly kill each other is described in Bhagavatam
4.26.5 purport. Because people are sinful meat eaters (both
Hindus and Muslims) they think nothing of killing each other.
But why don’t the famous religious and political leaders get out
into the streets and use their influence to stop these killings?
Would that not also create a suitable atmosphere for the masjid/
mandir issue to be settled? Or is the death of lakhs of people
part of the temple construction program?

Because people are thinking “I am Hindu,” I am Muslim,” “I am
black,” “I am white,” “I am a Brahmin,” “I am American,” “I
am Chinese,” and so on, they remain entrenched in the bodily
concept of life and cannot make any proper spiritual progress,
even though they identify themselves as staunch followers of
particular religions. They have to come to the sense that, “I am
not this body. I am atma, an eternal servant of Krsna.”
Distributing this knowledge is the main function of ISKCON. That
is especially established by distribution of transcendental books.
Books are the basis of this movement. All over the world, during
December, devotees hold the Prabhupada book distribution
marathon, working morning to night to please Srila Prabhupada
by distributing his books. Srila Prabhupada said, “If you really
want to please me, then distribute my books.” The Prabhupada
marathon is a chance to get lots of Prabhupada’s mercy.

Here in T our bus is distributing books from 6 am to 10 pm and
the response is good. In a few days I will make a quick tour of