(Easy Journey to Other Planets, Spanish Edition)
By the calendar year 1972, the entire upper class in Mexico spoke perfect English. They were well-educated, wealthy, sumptuously housed, and perfectly fluent in the English language. What to speak of in Cuernavaca, which was a refuge for the elite and social aristocracy of Mexico.
In consequence, Srila Prabhupada, when addressing his audience at the casino de la selva, could simply speak in English, with no interpreter needed. He could just speak to them directly in English.
Also, by the year 1972, there still was not even one of his books printed in the Spanish language. The devotees were working on several translations, but no book was ready at the moment of his arrival.
By Krishna's mercy the devotees were able to produce the first-ever book in Spanish, Easy Journey to Other Planets, on the same day that Srila Prabhupada was preaching in Cuernavaca. The devotees filled a cardboard box with the first copies and rushed them to the casino de la Selva where Prabhupada at the moment was addressing a very cultured and receptive audience. And what did he do when the box arrived? He instantly reached into the box and started distributing those (paperback) books right on the spot. The very first book distributor to distribute books in Spanish was none other than His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. And he did big. He was getting twenty pesos apiece for those paperbacks. In 1972 the Mexican pesos back then was a big bill. Srila Prabhupada would take a twenty, give them a book, and not give any change! So the guest not only received a lovely book on Krishna consciousness, but also was able to give a wonderful donation directly to Srila Prabhupada and his preaching movement. What an auspicious moment for all those people who were in that audience at that time because as he was distributing the book, he would also look at them directly and say something very nice and very personal to each one who accepted one of his books.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai!
Antantacarya Dasa
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