BTG India's artist, Janardan Salkar is a fired up devotee. He teaches art in a convent school, chants sixteen rounds. regularly attends counselee meetings, does a part-time course in arts in JJ School of Arts, cooks and does all the househ old chores alone. (because he is unmarried and lives in Mumbai while his parents are in interior Maharashtra) and also distributes books. He has come to Krsna consciousness after dabbling in lots of pseudo spiritual organizations and so has a missionary spirit to share Lord Krsna' s pure teachings as given by Srila Prabhupada with everyone. Whenever he goes out he has Sriia Prabhupada's books in his bag. And whenever he learns of a religious gathering with substantial crowd he goes there and sets up his book table.
But recently things hadn't been going his way. His arts teacher rejected most of his drawings. "Your drawings are a ll same," h e said , "They only have Krsna paintings. Draw something different." He failed to see that each painting was based on different themes from Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam and all were full of variety in content and message. But an atheist doesn't have the vision to see things as they are Janardan had to redo the assignments at the last moment. Late nights full of hard work helped meeting the deadline. But more troubles came in from of a severe bout of food poisoning. He was doubling up with severe abdominal cramps with none to look after him. Finally he got some treatment and recovered.
Then on one sunny Sunday he recalls:
I woke up from bed fresh and energetic after a long gap. School was starting the day after. I looked all around my tiny house. Everything was a mess. But what caught my eye was a mountain of unwashed clothes. I looked in the almirah. It was empty. I had no shirt for tomorrow. "OK!" I thought, "Let me finish chanting sixteen rounds then I will do my laundry. Clean my heart first and then clean my home."
RING RING
It was a friend on phone. "There is a festival in a local Siva temple. Lots of people are expected. Good chance of book distribution. Are you coming?"
"Of course yes," I replied and hung up.
"But what a bout the dirty clothes?" my mind protested. "You have no clean shirt for the school tomorrow!"
"No problem!" I overruled my rebellious mind. "What is a deodorant meant for?"
I grabbed my book bag and my tiny portable table and caught an auto-rickshaw and went straight to the Siva temple. Whole afternoon and evening I spent there. But I managed o nly a modest score, mostly small book. I desperately wanted to distribute at least one Bhagavad-gita but could not do so.
Late in the evening I was returning to my house with my littlelighter book bag slung on my shoulder and book table in my right hand, when somebody called me.
"Arre babuji (Oh. sir!)." I turned. It was my dhabi (washer man). He was waving at me to come. I rubbed my eyes. He generally just gives me a cursory nameste but today he was frantically calling me. "Let me check," I thought and went ahead.
"Sir, let me remind you. "he said.
"I still have your four shirts that you gave a month back. You never collected them. Everyday I would see you coming and h ope t hat you would take them but you never did. I thought may be you have forgotten so I called you today."
"Thank you so much!" I blurted out, "I desperately needed a clean shirt. By the way I have a Bhagavadgita with me. Please take a look."
The dhabi grabbed the book. "I was looking for a Blwgavad-gita so eagerly. Thank God you have it. How much for it?"
He bought a Hindi copy.
I came home and reflected on the events of the day. I had sacrificed my time to serve Lord Krsna and here He was providing me something that I desperately needed-a clean shirt! Not only this. but I also got to distribute a Bhagavad-gita. Surely when you serve Lord Krsna, you are never a loser. Lord Krsna really cares for His devotee.
But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.
Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita 9.22