A Sankirtan Story you don’t want to miss.
At our ISKCON New Dwarka Temple in Los Angeles, there is one girl devotee who is very special. What makes her so special? Her sincere desire to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. For her, distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books is her life and soul. She goes out seven days a week and her only concern is how she can go out more hours everyday and how to reach more conditioned souls so she can give them Srila Prabhupada’s mercy in the form of a book.
In fact she has told me several times how she does not want to go back home back to Krishna, she just wants to take birth again and again and be able to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. That is her only desire.
She also loves to serve the devotees in any way she can, always helping everyone and using whatever little money she has to buy things the devotees may need. She also renders service in other ways like making garlands for the Deities, decorating the Temple etc. One of her favorite activities is also distributing Krishna Prasadam to as many conditioned souls as possible, be it a dog, a cat, a rabbit, a mouse or a homeless person, she tries to make sure they all get Krishna Prasadam.
This girl’s name is Radharani Dasi, and she is very humble and dear to everyone.
Her method of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books is to approach everyone she meets and put a book in their hands, once the book is in their hands she begins to describe the glories of the book and the Author, Srila Prabhupada.
Then she asks the person to say Hare Krishna.
Any way, some years ago, as she was on traveling Sankirtan with two other girls, they went to some cities in Arizona and New Mexico, and when they were coming back they decided to stop at a gas station that had a little mini mart.
While one of the girls was putting gas and the other girl was putting air in the tires of their car, Radharani decided to go inside the mini mart of the gas station.
After grabbing a couple of items, she went to the cashier, and while paying for her items, she took out one of Srila Prabhupada’s books and put it in the hands of the cashier (a young man), the man took the book and kept looking at it, then Radharani asked the young man to please say Hare Krishna and the young man said Hare Krishna.
She told the young man how special the book was and the person who had written the book.
Next she asked the man if he could give a donation for the book which the young man did.
She thanked the young man and requested him to say Hare Krishna one more time which the young man did happily.
Radharani then turned around and exited the mini mart, walking back to her car.
It was at that moment that she heard, bang, bang, bang.
Three gun shots.
Within minutes there were police cars arriving and there was a bit of commotion.
The cashier of the gas station and mini mart had been shot by someone trying to rob the gas station.
The young man still had Srila Prabhupada’s book in his hand as he laid dead.
Krishna had given him a unique opportunity to leave his body holding unto one of Srila Prabhupada’s books and after saying Hare Krishna, thanks to the mercy and the efforts of one of Srila Prabhupada’s most dedicated Sankirtan devotees, her grace Radharani Dasi.
This is a true story.
The girls were given supinas to apear in court a month later to testified because they had been witnesses of the crime.
May Lord Krishna alway bless our dear Radharani Dasi who is an inspiration to all of us, all glories to her pure transcendental service to our beloved Srila Prabhupada and His mission.
All glories to Sri Sankirtan book distribution, all glories, all glories to our Divine Srila Prabhupada Ki Jaya !!!