Question: How do we sustain our enthusiasm in preaching?

Jayapataka Swami: How do we sustain our enthusiasm in preaching? First of all, we understand it is our dharma. Srila Prabhupada taught preaching is the essence so that is what we do. It is hard to sustain enthusiasm. I am wondering what would impede one’s enthusiasm? If we understand that this is our dharma, this is what we are supposed to do and that by preaching, we help others and we also purify ourselves. There is a book by Srila Prabhupada, called ‘Preaching is the Essence’. And it is a compilation of all Srila Prabhupada’s statements of how preaching is so essential and so beneficial. Maybe one could read those quotes, I don’t know if that book is still available. There is a book on chanting the Holy Name and there is another on preaching. But we are either preaching or we are being preached to! Ha! By materialists! So the materialists are trying to convince us that we should not practice Krsna consciousness. I remember, I went to one businessman in Calcutta and I wanted to enroll him as a life member. But he started to chastise, you people are all bogus! You people are cheaters! There is no such thing as God! There is no such thing! You are only taking the money! He was blaspheming. So I listened. Then I said, sir, you are not correct. You are wrong. We bring in people, we are doing all these works. He thought he would blow me away but I was determined that I would preach to him. Then he said, I was just testing you, I was just testing you! Ha! Ha! Ha! How much I had to pay! Ha! Ha! So we should not get affected and be more attached to the results. One person, she used to sell books in New Orleans I think, and I liked to listen to the sankirtan pastimes. Those are the practical present day pastimes of Lord Caitanya. So she said the whole day she hadn’t distributed any books. She was praying to Krsna, please send me someone to buy a book. She was at the airport. An airplane landed and she was trying to offer people. One person said, no, no, today is the worst day of my life! The worst day! I cannot take it! She said, we are here to help people who are having the worst day of their life! Tell me, why is today your worst day? He said, you see, why did I go to school? Why did I go to university? Why did I get married? Why did I do a job? Everything I did to please my mother and my mother today, she died! Ho Ho Ho Ho! She said, oh no, in the Bhagavad-gita it says your mother is not dead, she is still alive! Her body is changed. Now she has a new body. He said, oh, really! She said, yes sir, it says in the Bhagavad-gita, the soul is eternal. Your mother is alive. Really, he said. How much is the book? You can have the book, just give a donation. He gave 20 dollars. Alright. The book only cost 5 but he gave 20. So like this, people are suffering in the material world. They need help. They need it so bad. They don’t know why they are. They don’t know what is the purpose of life. They don’t know anything. They know only temporary dollars! So that is why you should be determined to give out Krsna consciousness to others. Haribol!
27-SEPTEMBER-2019 BENGALURU, INDIA