Auckland, New Zealand
I met 44 year old Hemi, a warm and friendly maori (native) gentleman who is
working distributing advertising leaflets to the public. He immediately
recognised Srila Prabhupada's books. He already has the Gita and others but
has not yet read them. He gave a donation and took 2 small books. He is
working the same side of the street as me; he's been doing so from 9 until
4:30 every day for over two weeks to promote the School Uniform Shop he is
working for.
A while later I meet him again. "What is a monk?" he inquires. I said, "We
discuss scripture, do service, study and celibacy." Hemi used to attend the
Mormon Church and told me of his being put on probation for not sticking to the
"rules" eventually leading to him being asked not to come back. We talked
about dealing with sin. I referenced some verses on lust from Bhagavad-Gita
focusing on 2.59, and explain the practicality of Bhakti yoga.
Later he beckons me over; he's been meditating on what we discussed
earlier. He had attended many churches throughout the years and was
unimpressed by the knowledge they had to offer. He was spiritually
tired but is now eager to read his copy of the Gita.
We again went on sankirtan. During one exchange I see Hemi waiting across from
me. I chastise him jokingly for being in "my" zone and ask if he'd like to
do my job. He takes it seriously and agrees. We get a mixture of books
from my box and I inform him of the 'printing' price. Then I tell him to
chant this certain mantra in between meeting people and he repeats the holy
name line by line.
For half an hour he tries giving passersby the books instead of the
advertising material. I watch his exchanges; he looks funny in his uniform
(which advertises a shop that sells uniforms) but he is confident.
After 30 minutes I approach him. He chants Hare Krishna with a smile on his
face. He remembers the whole mantra after having heard it only once. It
was difficult for him and no books went out, but he was ecstatic
nonetheless. Because of his lack of knowledge of what the books were about,
he wasn't sure how to present them. He vowed to read his Gita before coming
to Krishnafest at The Loft (our urban yoga lounge) this Sunday. I got his
number and later sent him a text message, thanking him for his help. I also
wrote: "I hope u gt som nice realisation from the books." He replied,
"I feel like a new lease of life has presented itself to me, a direction of
certainty and opportunity, keep in touch."
Srila Prabhupada, his books, and his book distribution Ki! Jai!
Your servant,
Jayadeva Kavi dasa