OUR FAMILY BUSINESS - THE GREAT ART OF DISTRIBUTING SRILA PRABHUPADA'S BOOKS

Our Family Business: Srila Prabhupada Called It the Most Important Work — This Book Explains Why

There is a famous instruction that Srila Prabhupada gave repeatedly, in letters and conversations and lectures, to devotees all over the world: distribute books. Not occasionally. Not when it's convenient. Constantly, wholeheartedly, as the central activity of devotional life.

For many devotees, that instruction is familiar. But understanding it — really sitting with why Prabhupada felt so strongly about this, what actually happens when a book reaches someone's hands, and how to actually do it well — that's a different thing entirely.

Our Family Business—The Great Art of Distributing Srila Prabhupada's Books is the book that addresses all of that with a depth and a warmth that no other publication on this subject comes close to matching. Written by Vaisesika Dasa — one of ISKCON's most experienced and celebrated book distributors — and published by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, this 506-page hardbound volume is not a manual. It's a living document of what it means to give Prabhupada's books to the world.

Why the Title Says "Family Business"

The choice of words in the title is deliberate and worth sitting with. Vaisesika Dasa frames book distribution not as a duty, not as a program, not as a quota to be filled — but as a family business. Something inherited. Something passed down from a spiritual father to his children with the expectation that they will carry it forward with love, with ownership, and with genuine investment in its success.

Srila Prabhupada built his movement on his books. He often said that if people simply read his books sincerely, their lives would change. He described book distribution as the most important activity in ISKCON — more than temple construction, more than festivals, more than any other external activity. Our Family Business takes that conviction seriously and explores it from every angle.

What 506 Pages Actually Covers

This is not a short read — and it shouldn't be. The subject deserves the space Vaisesika Dasa gives it. Across 506 pages, the book covers the philosophy behind book distribution, the practical art of approaching people and engaging them in a genuine exchange, stories from decades of sankirtan experience, Prabhupada's own words and instructions on the subject drawn from letters and conversations, and the inner transformation that happens in a devotee who takes this service seriously.

What makes the book exceptional is that it manages to be both inspiring and genuinely practical. You finish a chapter feeling deeply motivated — and also having learned something specific and actionable. That combination is rare in devotional literature, and it reflects decades of real experience distilled into writing.

The stories alone are worth the price. Vaisesika Dasa has spent his devotional life distributing books and interacting with thousands of people across many different contexts. The encounters he describes — the skeptical professors, the curious teenagers, the people who took a book only to write back years later saying it changed everything — read like the best kind of real-life spiritual literature.

For Every Devotee, Not Just Sankirtan Devotees

It would be easy to assume this book is only for devotees who distribute books regularly. That assumption would be wrong. Our Family Business speaks to every devotee who has ever wondered how to share what they've found — how to talk to family members who aren't interested, how to give a book to a colleague without it feeling awkward, how to be genuinely useful to someone who is searching without knowing what they're searching for.

The principles Vaisesika Dasa lays out apply to any situation where a devotee wants to connect another person with Prabhupada's teachings. The book distribution context is the teacher — but the lessons reach much further.

Hardbound, Published by BBT — Available at ISKCON Mayapur Store

Published by The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) and available through the official ISKCON Mayapur store, Our Family Business is a substantial hardbound edition — 506 pages, 22 × 13.5 × 3.5 cm, 830 grams — built to last on a shelf and be returned to again and again. Priced at ₹380.

If Prabhupada's books changed your life, this book will deepen your understanding of why that happens — and what you can do to make it happen for someone else.

Title : OUR FAMILY BUSINESS - THE GREAT ART OF DISTRIBUTING SRILA PRABHUPADA'S BOOKS
Language : ENGLISH
Author : VAISESIKA DASA
Binding : HARDBOUND
ISBN: 9789171499004
Publisher : THE BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST
Edition : FIRST
Pages : 506
Product Dimensions : 22 cm x 13.5 cm x 3.5 cm
Product Weight : 0.83 kg