What should be done to increase book distribution | Rus-Split | 1992 | Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī Mahārājā

Hare Krishna. I hope that all the people sitting here are only full-time Sankirtan devotees. Is there anybody in this assembly that's not a full-time Sankirtan devotee? So I just want to request that those who are not full-time Sankirtan devotees can sit in one other corner. No, because this is a Sankirtan class. So we are just going to meet for a short time till quarter to 7, because then there's going to be Tulsi Aarti and I have to go to Riga then. So as all of you know, since the book distribution prices have gone up, some devotees are feeling discouraged and they feel the response from the people is not as good as it was before. Of course, in the classes you always hear about the need to be enthusiastic. But I thought we can have this meeting in which we can also hear to some of the suggestions that your devotees may have regarding what can, what should be done to increase book distribution. Today, this afternoon, I went with Yamraj to some metro stations, and it was very pleasing to see the big poster of Bhagavad-gītā in every station. Actually, these metro stations are like mālīnki gorads. You have so many people coming there, it's amazing. So we have to increase book distribution. Like on— actually, I was able to go to two tables, and I saw myself that on one table they had all the books on display. But it is a fact that people are not as enthusiastic to buy a Bhagavad-gītā for 200 rubles as they were for 50 rubles and 40 rubles. And it is also a fact that we can't afford to— that we have to increase the price of the Gītās because the cost of printing has gone up and paper is very, very expensive now. So do some of your devotees want to speak something? Yeah, who are the leading— Yamraj, who are your leading generals here? Please identify them. Let's hear from some. This is actually a samkītan ishta-gauṣī. This is not a— this is— I wasn't thinking that only I will speak. I was thinking I will just start the discussion and let the sankirtan devotees speak about their realizations and their suggestions. So amongst the men now, who is the top distributor here, Yamraj, amongst those present here? The wonderful thing in spiritual life is everybody likes to give the credit to the other person. So I see everybody's pointing out at everybody else.

Really, there is a lot of good distributors.

So please call on one or two or three of them to speak. Anatole, what should be done to increase book distribution? What is your suggestion? Don't feel shy. The purpose of this meeting is to encourage you all to express your feeling.

Many, many people give their life to watch the TV programs. There were a lot of programs during the marathon advertising our Krishna Consciousness movement, and Himaraj Prabhu, so I, I cheer you. That today there was not a video film, there was a film on TV, I am poor, really, but they recorded it, I hope, and he says that many people like these programs, these TV programs, and he says that if they go on coming on TV, it will be very good.

You mean that TV advertisements, commercials? Reklam television.

So, no, No, no, no, not commercial television. It is only— yes, films. Yes, they made some films.

Okay, in December we showed some films. Yes, yes, on television. Okay, of course that's good, but one thing that devotees have to— okay, one thing that devotees have to understand is, you know, putting— showing our movies on television is not so easy all the time. You can do it sometime, but the point is, when, when you have an ISKCON television station Then you can do it. Sigda? Yes, please speak. My question is, can you show commercial every day? I don't think you can show, um, these movies on television all the time. I knew that this showing movies on television is very expensive. Therefore I said that sometimes it can be done, but I don't think it can be done all the time. Now besides that, is there other points? This Prabhu gave one viewpoint. Some other suggestions? Yes, that's Motherji.

She says that if the book distribution is not a business but a mission— yes, it is mission activity— then she suggests to reduce the price.

Okay, so this is a good point that you have brought up, whether book distribution is a business or a mission. So I would like to explain to the benefit of everyone assembled how this is a mission and not a business. You see, the book distribution price is high for for two reasons, and we have no secrets, and I can tell you all in public. One, of course, is that the cost of the books has gone up tremendously because of change to market economy in your republic. Second thing is that it is mainly through book distribution that we also support the activities of the temple. Prabhupada wanted ISKCON temples to be supported not by any business but by book distribution. After all, to run a temple, to maintain the deities, to provide prasad to the devotees, to supply the electric city, to maintain the property. Frankly, all this costs lakshmi. So all over the world, attempts are made that through the price of the books to just pay the BBT for the books that the temples buy. And then if there is any lakshmi left between the price that temples pay to the BBT and the price they get from the books, it goes to the temple for what is called temple maintenance. So if the devotees enthusiastically try their best, then we will also know what the real effect is of the price on people's reaction. Because one feeling— and this point has been expressed to me by some of the leaders of the temple here— is that because the devotees have just finished very successful marathon in which all of you worked very, very hard, so devotees are still recovering from the aftereffects of that heavy marathon. And as a result, devotees have not been able to try their best to see the result that you can get at this price. Yes, I was recently in Poland, and as you probably know, what Russia is trying to do now is what Poland did 2 years ago. At one time, Poland also had a communist economy, but about a year or two ago, they switched over to a capitalistic economy. And, uh, in Poland also, when the— when they switched over to market economy, the prices of books went up. In fact, I was just there and devotees were telling me prices have gone up 5, 6 times. And it was a little difficult in the beginning, but now devotees told me that they've come back to more or less what they were doing previously. So this is the experience that we've had in Poland and Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, all these countries. So our request to the Moscow devotees is— because I have not seen the world Sankirtan leader, but I think Moscow Temple has number one in the world. Anyway, the Moscow temple is definitely in the top 3 of the world for the Prabhupāda marathon in December. I think at the present moment the best approach would be for devotees to be convinced in their heart that this activity is the most important activity for saving humanity. And if they enthusiastically participate, then I'm sure the results will gradually improve. In any spiritual activity, ultimately you need the sanction of the Supreme Lord for success. So we just have to be enthusiastic, always remembering the purpose of this mission, and I'm sure people will respond. One thing is that I think a lot of people may start taking medium and small books now. The other devotees want to say something else? Are some Kirtan devotees a little shy at the moment, I think? Yes. So what's your name?

Kakamasum.

So I appreciate Yusuf's frank statements. I can imagine why the local leaders didn't have too many samkirtan meetings in the month of January because they knew that you all have just come from a very successful marathon. So they wanted to give you all a little break. So now that you all have had almost 1 month of break, I think they can start having regular samkirtan sessions and, uh, accept suggestions and give guidelines. As Yamraj Prabhu just said, now we took a little break, now we're going to start having these samkirtan sessions again. To get everyone in the right mood. Just because the materialists do not know how to run the country and they keep experimenting with different forms of economy doesn't mean that we are going to stop our preaching. Just because now everything is going up 5, 10 times price doesn't mean we're going to stop our preaching. I'm amazed at the way prices have gone up. They bought a ticket for me to go to Riga tonight by train for 500 rubles. It used to be 30 rubles before. So the point is Everything's going up in the country. I understand that the cost of a ticket to India now is 65,000 rubles. It used to be 3,000 rubles before. So please understand that the cost of the Gita has gone up to 200 rubles, but the cost of everything's gone up in this country. I was told that benzene previously was 40-50 kopeks a liter, and now it is 1.5 rubles a liter. You know, when devotees live in the temple, they really don't know what's happening in the world outside the temple, because when you're living in the temple Everything looks almost free. The prasad is there automatically. You don't have to worry about where you're going to buy the pradakṣī, at what price. You don't have to worry about the electric bill. You don't have to worry about anything. So we should not get discouraged. I think that we should just depend upon Kṛṣṇa as we always do. And if we just put ourselves in the right mood, I feel very positive we will be able to reestablish book distribution at the level it was. Once we try our best Once we start having regular satsang, sankirtan meetings, as some of you suggested, and we also put ourselves in the right consciousness, and if after doing our best effort we still find that book distribution is not picking up, then maybe we can think of some adjustments. But to think of any adjustments at the moment would not be wise because we ourselves have to adjust to the reality that things are going to be different in the material world now than before. So we have to gear up to that. Uh, you had a point there, yes sir, you were raising up.

You don't see what's important, but most people, you will be going to colleges and ask to present them small and medium groups, then it gets to think that the results will go higher, same time, and they suggest that it will be the practice.

I think, Yamraj, I think what you should do Maybe after 2, 3 days you should have a meeting with the devotees and take each spot by spot, because now you have 26 spots, and identify which spots are very good, which spots are medium, which spots are poor. And so since you know which spots are poor and fair, then maybe those devotees that go to these spots that are poor and fair, you ask them on an experiment, would you like to just try the technique that she was suggesting and not remain on the spot? And for a week, 2 weeks, try it and see which way they do better, and then again review it and then decide. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.