Waves of Sankirtana - Volume 1, Issue 3

Hare Krishna! Welcome to the third issue of the India Sankirtana Newsletter "Waves of Sankirtana." The aim of this monthly newsletter is to assist in the systematic expansion of book distribution across India by facilitating communication and inspiration among devotees. 

In this issue, we cover the following highlights:

1.       Srila Prabhupada Speaks: "Dāsyam, to work for Kṛṣṇa... Distribute books."

2.       India Sankirtana Report Card - July 2014

3.       Sankirtana News: Book distribution stories from Nellore and Bangalore 

4.       Sankirtana Insights: Interview with HG Prabhu (ISKCON Bangalore)

5.       FAQs: "Are you selling these books?"

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Srila Prabhupada Speaks 

Lecture on SB Lecture -- 3.25.15, Bombay, November 15, 1974: If you remain always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means you are on the liberated stage. And that is called bhakti-yoga.
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam...
[SB 7.5.23]
This Deity worship is arcanam. Chanting is vandanam. Dāsyam, to work for Kṛṣṇa, go and see people, preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, distribute books. In so many ways Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be... So everything is being done. People may take advantage of it. Then immediately he becomes muktaye.
Source: Vanipedia.org (http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Distributing_my_books_(Lectures))
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India Sankirtana Report Card - July 2014

The chart below shows Indian temples ranked by book points for June 2014, as per the World Sankirtana Newsletter. Horizontal: Temple name and Worldwide rank (temple size in brackets)    Vertical: Book points

All glories to the wonderful service by devotees across India! The table below lists individual book distributors for July 2014 with name, world rank, and temple affiliation. 

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Sankirtana News

Report from ISKCON Nellore: Minister Narayana came to Nellore for "Badi Pilustondi" program in Kovvur. We got an appointment to meet him and distributed Srila Prabhupada's books to him. We also supplied a prasadam midday meal for 5000 people on that day. 

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Sankirtana FAQ

We all come across many questions about book distribution, both practical and philosophical. In this section, we highlight common, important, and relevant questions and outline some possible answers, with support from shastras and sadhus. 

Question: How to ask for money/donations during book distribution?

Answer: This is a common question. In practice, seasoned book distributors bring up this aspect towards the end of a conversation than at the beginning. If the recipient is positive and our conversation is going well, we could simply state the price of the book after he/she expresses interest in the books. Most people feel comfortable to donate, knowing the price and having looked at the book. Other people may ask right away - "Are you selling these books?"  Obviously, we are not selling these books; we don't sell them like a bookstore does. Our goal is to give people these books that could change their lives positively and bring them closer to Krishna. We could clarify that these priceless books are printed by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and that any person who takes a book can make a donation to cover the printing cost of the book and support this wonderful service activity to bring about a spiritual revolution in society. Anyone who donates is making a positive contribution to this world! A few advanced book distributors simply let people look at the books and voluntarily give a donation, and not state a price right away. By sincerely allowing the person to look at, evaluate, and appreciate the book, the money becomes an automatic next step. The important point is to make the person feel comfortable, not obliged to PAY something. Our motto should be "Always leave a good impression" :)

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Tell us what you think!

We are eager to learn how to serve you better! Please write to us at indiasankirtana@gmail.com:

• Report your book distribution scores,

• Share your experiences, realizations, and stories,

• Ask (or answer) a question (FAQ) on book distribution,

• Suggest a book distributor who could share valuable insights,

• Give ideas for how to make this newsletter better and sweeter,

• Get involved with ISLT strategy and help develop this newsletter,

• Extend your support and encouragement with comments or letters.

For your convenience, we have also included a contact form on the right hand side bar of this page. Thank you very much for reading this month's newsletter!
Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!
Your servants,
Waves of Sankirtana Coordinators.
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