Śāntanu Prabhu and I were making our way to Times Square
for book distribution. Even before we arrived, I could
feel discouragement creeping in. It had taken us a while
to get there, and the time we had left to distribute
felt short. On top of that, Times Square is not an easy
spot for book distribution. The energy is chaotic,
people are rushing in every direction, and very few slow
down. My enthusiasm was low, and honestly, I wasn't
feeling very hopeful.
The moment we finally reached our destination, the very
first person I laid eyes on was a young man walking by.
Something moved within me, and looking back, I can only
attribute it to Paramātmā, the Supersoul within the
heart, giving me the intelligence. Without thinking, I
called out to him,
"Hey, are you an actor?"
He was mid-stride, almost past me, when he suddenly
stopped and turned.
"Yes, I am," he said.
He was an actor performing in the Broadway production of
Stranger Things
. I was stunned. In that moment, it became so clear that
it was not my intelligence. It was Kṛṣṇa guiding my
words. I quickly followed up and asked him if he enjoyed
books on meditation. His eyes lit up.
"Yes, I love them," he replied.
I placed the Bhakta Stack in his hands and asked, "Do
you read a lot or just a little?"
"A lot," he said.
Kṛṣṇa's arrangement was unfolding perfectly. I
immediately presented him with the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and
asked if he could help with a donation. He didn't
hesitate for even a moment.
"How much do you need?" he asked.
I replied, "Anything from your heart."
He looked at me again and said, "No—how much do you
need?"
So I asked if he could cover the cost of the
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, telling him it was our lucky number.
He smiled and said,
"Let's do it."
It was an ecstatic moment—one of those unmistakable
instances where you feel Kṛṣṇa personally stepping in,
dissolving all doubt and discouragement, and filling you
with the enthusiasm to keep going.
The rest of the day, that enthusiasm never left me. All
glories to Kṛṣṇa, who arranges everything, even when—and
especially when—we feel we have nothing left to give.
Your Servant,
Giri-
dāsa
