Outstanding Quality
Tamal Krishna Goswami: We chanted Hare Krishna on the streets. But some people ridiculed us and there were newspaper articles in the same mood. When Prabhupada heard this, and he heard that people were throwing coins at us, he told us to immediately stop doing daily street kirtan because people were taking it cheaply. Later things changed a little, but it was significant that Prabhupada was willing to completely adjust the fundamental strategy of street chanting if it didn’t have the desired effect. A preacher has to be an expert judge of time, place and circumstance and know how to present Krishna consciousness in an effective way to the local population. One formula may be totally unsuitable in another place. One of Prabhupada’s most outstanding qualities was how he knew which formula was suitable for which place. He wasn’t a stereotyped thinker. He used to say, “Spiritual is not static, it’s ecstatic.” It was a pun on the words, “It’s ecstatic.” Prabhupada was always thinking of brilliant, unique ways to spread Krishna consciousness.
Source: Remembrances by Sidhanta Das – Folio Vedabase
