The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) MCI Team (Marketing, Communications, and Innovation), under the leadership of Vaisesika Dasa, has announced the target for its 2026 Bhadra campaign as 100,008 sets of Srimad Bhagavatam distributed. The goal for the 2024 Bhadra campaign (September 17-18th, depending on the country location) is 68,000 sets, incrementally working to the 100,008 goal by 2026.

Initially, the target was 100,000, but Jayapataka Swami suggested adding 108. The Bhadra Campaign holds special significance, as on the full moon day in the month of Bhadra, if one places Srimad Bhagavatam on a golden throne and gives it as a gift, one will attain the supreme transcendental destination.

Vaisesika Dasa said, “The service of book distribution is direct preaching to the people in general. And Śrīla Prabhupāda talked about how, before he came to America, he didn’t work to build temples. He just distributed books.”

Books are like codes, and that is why people are attracted to reading books. Vaisesika said, “If they’re the right codes, then they can use their lives to be transformed and inspired in such a way that they can use their lives for the purpose of the whole creation. And that feels like you just won the cosmic lottery when anyone gets a book, what to speak of the Srimad Bhagavatam set.”

Recalling a visit to his godbrother Sridhar Swami in Mayapur, Vaisesika Dasa shared Sridhar Swami’s words, “I don’t want to leave the battlefield,” emphasizing the eternal nature of service in Krishna consciousness. 

The BBT considers regular communication, reporting, and setting clear goals to be very significant. Vaisesika said, “Book distribution means reporting. If you don’t report or if you report late or something, it makes it hard to get in here. One of the most strenuous activities we do at the end of every marathon is to gather the scores together because lots of times everyone goes out, they’ll distribute, but then either they don’t report their scores locally or not internationally.”

The campaign encourages a competitive yet cooperative spirit and focuses on continuous improvement. Despite facing challenges, such as price increases in India, it has seen significant progress. In 2023, the goal was 55,000 sets, with regions like North America, India, and Europe contributing substantially. The collective effort resulted in the distribution of 33,905 sets worldwide.

Vaisesika said, “When we put our minds to it collectively and set goals together, then, by Lord Caitanya’s mercy, we’re able to achieve them. There’s a lot of power in brainstorming with your team and seeing what ways we can increase this year. If you think about it, Krishna will give you intelligence on how to do new things, how to get the word out, and how to contribute to the whole.”

Currently, BBT is on the rise in its five-year goal through global cooperation and ensuring the needed amount of printing is being done so that they have books available to achieve 100,008 sets by 2026.

Vaisesika Dasa said, “We have not received full participation all over the world, which is good news because we have a lot more capacity. One of our main areas of achievement is developing an attitude, service for service, and also assuming that it can be done. We can never say we’ve reached a plateau – that we can’t do anymore. The spiritual idea is we’re depending on Krishna’s power. Therefore, we can continue to increase our capacity. Also, it’s how we cooperate with one another that really counts.”

For more details on the 2024 and 2026 campaigns, please visit the BBT  website,  and follow them on Facebook and YouTube.