The following is a room conversation that took place between Śrīla Prabhupāda and Tripurāri on March 2, 1975, Atlanta, USA

1. The No. 1 Book Distribution Technique!

Tripurāri: Sometimes when we go to the temples they ask us to give class, saṅkīrtana class on book distribution techniques. We tell them that before you can take any techniques, first you must follow the principles and study the books.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is real technique. Our only technique is to be very devout followers of the rules and regulation.

 

2. Techniques Taught By Srila Prabodānanda Sarasvatī

Tripurāri: Sometimes the devotees, in their preaching, they will defeat someone.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Tripurāri: Sometimes we defeat someone by our preaching, and we show them they should take the book, but still they don’t take. But if we call them a fool and point out to them how they are foolish, they become offended. So rather that we just very humbly say…

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Our… We know that he is a fool, but we have to present in a different way. We shall say that “There is nobody as learned as you are.” In this way just make him puffed up, and then you say humbly, “My only humble request is that whatever you have learned, please forget. Now you try to understand Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That’s all.” This is the different way of calling him, that “Whatever you have learned, this is all rubbish.” We simply say, “Kindly forget them. Now you turn your attention to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” This is the way Prabodānanda Sarasvatī taught us.

You flatter him, “Sir, I have got one request.” Flatter him like anything, falling down on his leg and becoming humble and… “Sir, I have got one request.” “What is that?” “You are very learned scholar. But kindly forget them, and you try to turn your attention to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.” He will not be angry. Then, if he turns his attention to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then naturally he will forget all rubbish things.

 

3. Can We Cheat During Book Distribution?

Devotee (1): We’ve been trying more and more, Śrīla Prabhupāda, to make our techniques of distribution more honest and straightforward, not to cheat so much as some of these methods in the past.

Prabhupāda: No, the thing is that Kṛṣṇa’s service is so sublime that even if we cheat, you are not culprit. But because we have to deal with the worldly man, we have to go according to their rules and regulation on cheating. Otherwise, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he never cheats. He never cheats. Whatever he does… Just like a mother says to his child, “My dear child, if you take this medicine, I will give you this lugloo.” The child is diseased; he will not be able to digest lugloo, but the mother sometimes cheats him.

And when he takes the medicine the lugloo is not delivered. Similarly, we… sometimes we have to say so many things very pleasing to him, but our business is that let him take this medicine. That is tactics. But that is not cheating. If the mother helps the child in drinking medicine and then afterwards she does not supply the lugloo, that is not cheating. Some way or other… That is the instruction of Rūpa Gosvāmī, yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveṣayet [Brs. 1.2.4]: “Somehow or other, let everyone be Kṛṣṇa conscious.”

There is no question of vidhi-niṣedhā. Sarve vidhi-niṣedhā syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. The other rules and regulation will act as servant, but the main business is to bring one to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the main business. We are not meant for cheating anyone. We have no business. But to lead one to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we may say something sometimes. So that is not cheating.