In each of these chapters I want to emphasize the purpose of this book. Everything I have to say is dedicated to the fulfillment of a very special dream, and in all frankness this dream has not yet come true. Far from it.
Often I listen to the news. Sadly, throughout all this time Lord Krsna has been seldom mentioned. But the dream I am writing about is a great one, belonging to Shrila Prabhupada; the greatest dream I know of. So again, please read anew these beautiful words of Shrila Prabhupada and the dream he wanted fulfilled:
“Let us try to make them Krishna conscious. That is our only interest. Because I love Krishna, I want to see all ...everybody in the world become Krishna conscious.” He wanted to see this happen.
In this regard, in the previous chapter I said that the greatest challenge facing me is to present God as He is. God is also the most interesting person. Why is this so important and what are the consequences?
In any marketplace you will find so many vendors advertising their wares. "Please stop and see what I have to offer you." And in the global marketplace of ideas, goods and services, devotees of Lord Krishna are also advertising. "Please stop and examine what we have."
This is good and the most important thing is to first get the public to stop and take notice. If not, they won't even notice and walk right past you. Because this failure can easily happen, here we find our greatest challenge: to present Lord Krsna as He is, but in such a way that people notice, stop and appreciate..
Let us assume that we have gained the public's attention in a positive way. What happens next? That can be found in a very important word: APPRECIATION ...."appreciation for Lord Krishna.” And if you think about it, the word "appreciation" has many wonderful meanings and they all apply: "to love, prize, regard, cherish, relish, savor, acknowledge, thank, comprehend, realize, recognize and understand."
Once this APPRECIATION has been kindled within the heart, the blessings bestowed upon those fortunate souls are enormous. Shrila Prabhupada states the following:
1. August 19, 1972; Shrimad Bhagavatam 1.2.16 - "This is the beginning of spiritual life. People are praising our activities and this APPRECIATION is a lift for such persons…even if he doesn't hear; doesn't come but simply says, 'it is very nice.' Yes!"
2. May 9, 1975; morning walk, Perth, Australia—"If they simply APPRECIATE; (they say) 'It is very nice,' …then in (their) next life human life is guaranteed. In a very nice family. Simply if he APPRECIATES."
So this is what happens: “the beginning of spiritual life.” These are the consequences that occur when this appreciation is awakened for Lord Krsna and His devotees. To my way of thinking and understanding, “appreciation” is where love of God starts.
Shrila Prabhupada loved Krshna with all his heart, and he simply wanted the whole world to love Him, too. This was Shrila Prabhupada's heart's desire—"his dream," if I may. The fulfillment of Prabhupada’s dreams should be the mission of his great society. A mission that begins with presenting Lord Krshna as He is and ends with tremendous appreciation the world over.
I’m calling this book, “Lord Krishna In The 21st Century.” It is a book about a common-sense approach for accomplishing Shrila Prabhupada's mission. Remember, Shrila Prabhupada wanted everybody in the world to love Lord Krsna. So we have to think big. And although this book IS big in scope, it contains a very practical formula that is both easy to understand and easy to execute. We can do this. It's a piece of cake. Here is a blueprint that can produce success within our lifetime. I am 100% certain of this fact. What could be more inspiring than this? Now my task is to present this blueprint nicely to you.
Chapter 2 - Appreciating God