Radhanath Dasa :Distributing books from his wheelchair

[krsna 3]

Spreading the word, from his wheelchair

 

Influenced by the founder of ISKCON, this 49-year-old is in India to share his philosophy.

 

Shalini Nair

 

Mumbai, June 28: HIS achievement of single-handedly distributing 30,000 Bhagwad Gitas across the world was no easy task.

 

Especially when a debilitating bone disease has left him bound to a wheelchair for the rest of life.

 

 

 

For Richard Mullel aka Radhanath Dasa, his disability has never been a deterrent. A native of Pennsylvania in the US, Dasa was born to the president of a steel company.

 

After an encounter with Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Dasa decided to give up his well-paying job for a higher spiritual life. He was 19 then.

 

Dasa travelled all over the US for the next two years, distributing Vedic literature. A few years later, he fell prey to ankylosing spodylitis. The degenerative disease gradually took over till both legs had to be amputated.

 

But for Dasa, who believes the spirit is stronger than the body, his disability only strengthened his faith.

 

“If I had no spiritual life, I would have cried out, ‘Why me?’ But I know that whatever I am going through now is my karma,” says Dasa, who is currently in Mumbai to impart his philosophy to followers here.

 

No matter where he is, Dasa goes out onto the streets and distributes carnations and religious books to spread his faith. Keen to reach children, he has also launched an online newsletter for kids.

 

“I want to spread the message of the Lord till my last breath. ‘Self-realised souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth,’” he says, enunciating a verse from the Bhagwad Gita.

 

 

[Dervish 0]

This devotee's story serves as an example to us all. Many devotees in the world will not sell books. An amazing majority of us have full use of our legs, as well. Here's a devotee who not only lost his legs, but will not give up on service. Krsna's mercy surely shines on him.