'Free to Preach' Book About a Householder Couple Preaching in the Middle East

[krsna 3]

Free to Preach

 

April 24, 2007

 

By Prema Padmini dd

 

<BIG>Where?</BIG> A Muslim country in the Middle East.

 

<BIG>Who?</BIG> A grihastha couple.

 

<BIG>What?</BIG> Spreading Krishna consciousness and building the Vaishnava community: from two to two thousand devotees.

 

<BIG>When?</BIG> For the last few years - and it's still going on.

 

<BIG>How?</BIG> Through the Bhakti-vriksha Program: love, care, training, small groups, interaction, participation, outreach, cultivation, supervision and empowerment.

 

<BIG>Why?</BIG> Because of Lord Caitanya's and Srila Prabhupada's desire.

 

 

(From book's back-cover.)

 

 

 

"... The setting of this autobiographical book,

Free to Preach

by Prema Padmini Devi Dasi, is a Muslim country in the Middle East. Prema Padmini Devi Dasi's husband, Vijaya Venugopala Das, is working there. She joins him and together they build a flourishing congregation. There is no official ISKCON temple and eeryone works at a full-time job (to stay in the country they must, otherwise they have to leave), yet, in a few years the community swells from two to two thousand devotees, an increase of 100,000 percent.

 

I found this book fascinating. The way Srimati Prema Padmini Mataji chronicles, with sincere appreciation and motherly affection, individual and collective growth. The way she and her husband deal with the challenges other devotees facce due to internal and exterrnal obsctacles. She sees love and care as essential ingredients of preaching. She describes what makes her happy: "It is a joy to train people, help them grow, and watch them blossom." She also hankers for perfection in personal standards and in the organization of the community. These and many other features make of this little book a welcome contribution to contemporary ISKCON's literature. ..."

 

 

 

(From the introduction, by Kaunteya das)