One thing the devotees did in the Netherlands – I was new, brand new and they took me to these hospitals, in the visiting hour. There were two devotees and we would just boldly walk in with a box of books and then one would stand on a chair and would give a whole speech about the greatness of the work we were doing and helping so many people in the world and for that we were distributing these wonderful books here today and everyone was getting a promotion copy! Yes everone, and in the visiting hours in a ward there can be a hundred people – right? So everyone -a book, then we would ask for a donation and then we would look at somebody who gave a big one and we would go:
“There, take it,” hold up the money and say “This gentleman gave–!”
Then everyone else started to give more money also, it was really good – A lot of books and a lot of Laksmi!

It was great — until the moment that the nurse would walk in and with an icy voice say:
“What is going on here!?”
and then we would have to bluff our way out:
“Um, well.. We’re doing the charity action!”
“Charity action? What’s that?”
“No, haven’t you read the letter!?”
“Letter..? Letter?”
“Yeah! You haven’t read? -Yes, yes..”
“No, no”
“It’s there, yes! Go check it out!”
So we send her away, and then try to escape!
If we manage to escape, then we would go one floor down and do the same thing again! I almost became a patient in the hospital, just from high blood pressure, anxiety and heart trouble!
But, somehow or other, these kind of activities save us. They save us from the material energy. They save us from the modes of material nature.
I was in total anxiety in that hospital, to tell you the truth, death scared of that icy voice of the nurse that could come any moment, and the police that would follow, and so on..
Still, looking at it now in hindsight, I must say it was very good!
It saved us from the three modes of material nature.
It saved me from dwelling on sense gratification.
It saved me from the iron grip of lust, which is otherwise so difficult to overcome.

In this way, by developing this mood of “let’s give this mercy to others” we can become very strong.

Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2010, Melbourne)

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