(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Cologne, August 2011)

Devotees should be very complete personalities.  It is about developing all aspects of our personality, and we should be complete human beings.

This is something that really attracts me to Prabhupada, mainly that, not only is he the great exalted pure devotee completely on the topmost transcendental platform, but that at the same time, he is so human, so very human in his dealings.  And that endears him to me very much.

I'm thinking that if we also can react like that, then that would be wonderful.  Sometimes we see devotees may reach up to Lotus Feet of Krsna in great devotion, but they don't come back down.

So then I feel it's incomplete.  When there's a movement of devotees who are spiritually very deep and realised, and at the same time human – on the human platform – then that's very nice.
That's when I feel like, 'Yes, yes, I want to be part of this movement. Then I want to be a Hare Krsna after all!' Then I'll say, "Okay then, I'll do it. I'll be there!"

That's what I want: a wonderful movement of wonderful devotees!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Sweden, 2010)

Transcribed by Madhumati Devi Dasi

Uddhava was very qualified as he was the disciple of Brihaspati. Brihaspati is the spiritual master of the demigods and he is the Lord of speech, because he had unlimited knowledge. He really knew everything about everything. There may be many spiritual masters who all have perfect knowledge because they know, what is the goal of life. They know what is the essence, although they may not know every tiny detail that is described in the scriptures.

Brihaspati was truly like a living encyclopaedia. So as soon as you brought up a topic, Brihaspati knew everything about it. So there was a constant river of information coming out from his mouth and therefore his disciple Uddhava was extremely learned! It was Uddhava who was chosen by Krishna to remain behind after Krishna had already left the planet, so that he could enlighten the devotees who stayed behind.

One day Krishna instructed Uddhava in great detail so that he could remain behind. It was Vidura who met Uddhava. Vidura realised how Krishna had instructed Uddhava, so that he could instruct him. Just by seeing how Krishna had made arrangements for him, had deeply touched Vidura making him over whelmed with tears.

So, Krishna captures so many devotees by making arrangements for them, and in that we find freedom. So, it is difficult to understand how one becomes a servant and surrenders and surrenders……and how is it that one becomes free? Because it looks like we are giving our freedom by voluntarily surrendering, even though it is out of love, but still we are getting freedom from frustration!

In this world, one is always frustrated to some degree, some less, or some more. That is the nature of material world – to be frustrated! It is said that one speaks being frustrated, well that is our condition. We are just not getting what we want, we are getting something else instead, which is alright, but it is not exactly what we wanted and therefore we are not satisfied. But in Krishna Consciousness one becomes fulfilled!

(H.H. Kadamba Kanana Swami, Cologne, Germany, August 2011)

(Transcribed by Yadurani Mataji)

Devotees should be very complete personalities, it is about developing all the aspects of a personality and we should be complete human beings. This is something that really attracts me to Prabhupada, namely that not only that he is the great, exalted, pure devotee and completely on the topmost transcendental platform but at the same time he is so human, so very human in his dealings. And that endears him to me very much, that combination. I'm thinking that if we also can reach that then that will be wonderful.

Sometimes I see devotees, they reach up to the lotus feet of Krsna in great devotion and there they do very good but they don't come back down in their human dealings. Then I feel that it is incomplete because when there is a movement of devotees who are spiritually very deep and realised and at the same time on the human platform, then that's when I feel, yes,yes I want to be a part of this movement. Then I want to be a Hare Krsna after all. Then I can say okay then, then I'll do it, then I'll be there.

That's what I want, a wonderful movement of wonderful devotees.