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BY PANDAVA VIJAYA DASA

Although Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to be as eager to distribute Krsna consciousness literature as we was, no one of them knew how to do it.

Distributing a magazine and asking for small donation was one thing-but a big hardbound book? When the entire shipment of “Teaching of Lord Caitanya” had arrived in New York in April of 1967. The devotees had hired a truck, picked up the books at the dock, and unloaded them at 26 Second Avenue.

They had then shipped them to ISKCON centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Montreal, and elsewhere. And there they remained, in the temples.

Some devotees had tried placing ads in magazines and leaving books in book stores on consignment. But the books didn’t sell. How to sell these big, hardbound books remained a mystery-until something significant happened, an accidental discover.

One day in 1971, while driving back to the temple after chanting in downtown San Francisco, two brahmacaris stopped at a local service station for gas. When the attendant came to the window for money, one of the devotees (Buddhimanta) showed him a “Krsna” book. the Attendant seemed interested, and the two devotees began preaching the glories of Krishna consciousness. When they suggested he take the book as payment for the gas, he agreed.

Astonished at what happened and inspired at their success, the two brahmacaris went the next day with several “Krsna “books and stood in front of a grocery store. And again it happened: this time they sold two books.

When Buddhimanta began selling as many as five books in a day the devotees in other temples especially Los Angeles, San Diego and Denver wanted to follow his example. And whoever tried and sold a book became caught up in a euphoric excitement.

from Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, volume 6, Uniting Two Worlds Srila Prabhupada sent Buddhimanta to different places where he showed the devotees how to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. Buddhimanta had a habit of always calling all devotees Maharaja. Sometimes he is referred to the inventor of book distribution . Something he never took credit for.

On February 13, 1990 he left his body in Vrindavin.

All glories to Prabhupada’s servant, Buddhimanta dasa.

your servant and friend, Pandava vijaya dasa

————–
Memorial by Hanumatpresaka Swami

I think the first book I ever got I got from Buddhimanta Prabhu while he was at the University of California campus. So, I owe him my eternal life. Years later he was staying at the Berkeley temple and wanted to take Karate lessons. So Hamsadutta Swami said, “O.K. but take Hanumat Swami with you. He has a black belt in Karate”. So, after one time in the dojo Buddhimanta stopped at a liqueur store and went inside. I was surprised, but he came out with a liter of ice-cold Seven-Up. He said that this liqueur store had the coldest refrigerator in the area.

Then he showed me that he could “Chugg”, drink in one breath, the entire liter of 7-Up.

As he put the bottle down he inhaled and said, “You know Hanuman, if I hadn’t become a devotee this would have be beer”.

So, Krsna needs a few Ksatriyas too. He doesn’t need all Brahmanas, but Krsna adjusted Buddhimanta’s karma so that it was within legal bounds.

*Live fast and have a good looking corpse* Ksatriya for Krsna.

I was with him morning and evening everyday for the last month. He died of brain cancer at 38. Maybe a result of habits like “Chugging” whole liters of 7-Up, but he distributed more books in these few years than most of us will probably distribute in a life time.

He was always very kind to me even though I am a second class devotee. I still get a lot of inspiration to do whatever I can to distribute books from him.

Buddhimanta Prabhu Ki Jai!!

Hanumatpresaka Swami

————–

Memorial by Pandava Vijaya Dasa

Buddhimanta had never met Srila Prabhupada and the Temple president of the San Francisco, Kesava dasa. thought he should since he was the “biggest” book distributor at that time. They were all in Los Angeles and Buddhimanta had just come in from a day of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. He had distributed about 100 small books at store right near the temple. When he returned from sankirtan Kesava said to Buddhimanta that Prabhupada wanted to see him ASAP. Buddhimanta ran to the Bramachari ashram and took a shower put on a dhoti but could not find a clean kurta so wore nothing on top. He returned and they went up to Prabhupada’s quarters. Buddhimanta the fast talking book distributor was in awe. He had distributed thousands of his books but never personally met Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada entered the room and Kesava and Buddhimanta both paid their obeisances. Srila Prabhupada sat down and said to Buddhimanta “so you distribute the most books?” Buddhimanta was in such awe he could not speak, so Kesava spoke for him and said, “yes Srila Prabhupada, he is the biggest distributor.”

“How many books did you distribute today” asked Srila Prabhupada.

Buddhimanta still could not speak and Kesava replied “about 100.”

“Do you trick the people or tell them the truth to sell them a book” questioned Srila Prabhupada.

Buddhimanta still was speechless and Kesava replied, “he tricks them. He tells them it is for a yoga society.”

“That is ok”. Srila Prabhupada answered. “How come you are not wearing a shirt?” questioned Srila Prabhupada looking at the bare-chested Buddhimanta manta. “you work very had and should stay covered to not catch a cold.”

Finally Buddhimanta could speak and relied, “I had just come back from book distribution and Kesava said we were going to see you I took a shower and my kurtas were dirty, so I came bare-chested rather that wear a dirty shirt.”

Srila Prabhupada turned to his servant and said “Go to my closet and get a clean kurta for Buddhimanta.” the servant appeared with a clean kurta and gave it to Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada handed the kurta to Buddhimanta and said “put this on and stay warm.” Buddhimanta was about six feet two inches and much larger than Srila Prabhupada but slipped into the kurta and thanked Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada thanked Buddhimanta for his book distribution and told him to teach other devotees how to distribute his books. Buddhimanta and Kesava thanked Srila Prabhupada, paid their obeisances and left the room.

Buddhimanta was visiting Hawaii teaching book distribution and kept that kurta with his other clothes. One day a devotee that he had sold book in the Los Angeles airport, was having difficulties and was thinking of leaving. Buddhimanta gave him Srila Prabhupada’s kurta with the promise he would not leave. He did not, and at the present time does huge service distributing Krishna consciousness news in a newspaper under the guidance of Mukunda Goswami.

The other evening a sannyasi was speaking about how he had purchased this Krishna Book from Buddhimanta when he had been married. The sannyasi said his wife was angry for three days because he purchased the Krishna book.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and his first book distributor, Buddhimanta.

————–

Buddhimanta Sankirtana Hero
By Visvaretah Dasa

The 100 degree fever of Sankirtana in the early 1970s in America can only be described as an epidemic. At one point, when we were completely out of Books, waiting for Dai Nippon’s shipment of Krishna Books to arrive, the leader on the west coast, the pre-GBC mega-authority was Karandhara.

His office was in the breezeway of the Temple in New Dvaraka. During mangal arti, the rumor spread that there were 100 cases of Krishna Books stashed in Karandhara’s office.

That they were Karandhara’s personal property, that they were earmarked for some lofty and important purpose, that he was the “ultimate power” meant absolutely nothing to us-Buddhimanta and the Gang from New Jagannatha Puri, San Francisco.

We mercilessly, without the least consideration for the exalted position of Karandhara, without the least consideration for the extensive damage, we mercilessly broke down his door, splintered it into tooth picks and took every single book and went on a three day Book Distribution Marathon.

By that time, the shipment of fresh Books arrived and the fever spread further and further.

Buddhimanta, you must keep in mind, was the total personification of Maha “outrageousness.” Everything he did, every word he spoke, every gesture, every thought of his should have been filmed for posterity.

Buddhimanta was very handsome, 6′1,” 180 pounds, with an impish grin and reddish blond hair…like the American movie star, Robert Redford.

Buddhimanta was 100% convinced of only one thing: that Srila Prabhupada was the embodiment of the Absolute Truth-that there was no need to look any further. The only need was to distribute Prabhupada’s books.

The first Traveling Sankirtana Party, to my knowledge, left San Francisco Temple, New Jagannatha Puri in the Summer of 1971.

It consisted of about 15 brahmacaris crammed into two vehicles. We were out for about 3 and half weeks and distributed an “astounding number” of Back To Godhead Magazines, 3000.

On the last day, the 25th day of our austerity, the day before returning to New Jagannatha Puri Temple, we ended up in the East Bay just north of Oakland in a tract of split level executive homes-nicely landscaped yards, clean streets, lots of trees.

Arriving just as darkness fell, about 8pm on a pleasant Saturday evening, we piled out of both cars, sikas trailing, dhotis blowing, shouting “Hari Bol,” we descended upon this peaceful community like a hurricane.

We ran “Hari Boling” from door to door, distributing as many of Srila Prabhupada’s Books as possible and running to the next house.

After an hour, we were on fire. Buddhimanta especially. He ran up to a door and rang the bell.

There he stood, taking up the entire doorway space, eyes bugging out, sweating profusely, neck beads taught against his throat, and fire engine red-faced.

“HARE KRISHNA,” he announced to the bewildered housewife who unwittingly opened the door. His eyes bugged. His neck beads strained.

She took one look at this escaped lunatic from the Nut House in Goloka Vrndavana and fainted dead away on the spot.

It only took about 5 minutes for a thousand police sirens to split the calm air.

They surrounded us. They had us. It looked bad. But they didn’t know exactly what to do with us. We didn’t really do anything wrong.

So they didn’t take us to jail. The did talk to Buddhimanta for about 30 minutes to make certain that even though he looked and acted spiritually insane, that he was in fact, OK, not violent, and harmless.

Stuff like this happened in the days of the Sankirtana Revolution in America.

Long may the Flag of Sankirtana Book Distribution wave.

Respectfully submitted,

a Godbrother, fellow distributor and friend of Sriman BuddhimantaJi,

Visvaretah dasa