(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, October 2011)

I was once at a program with all these western people, and Bhakti Charu Maharaja was leading the program in Amsterdam. At one point he said to all these western people:

"And now fold your hands and now we are going to pray!"

In Europe, usually you would not say that to people………you have to be careful, by not saying the word 'pray' or the word 'God'….you don't say that too much since they do not like hearing it in the lecture. A little bit is okay but, not saying the word 'God' twenty times in a lecture. So Bhakti Charu Maharaja was sayng:

"Now everyone fold your hands".

Because he was an Indian Guru they did it! If I would have said it, then they would never have done it, but because he was Indian they just did it! And suddenly you see all these atheistic people praying! They have never prayed in their lives! So they are allergic to these things,

If you say the word 'God' a lot of the times, then they say:

"You are trying to convert me!"

So one has to be more careful, and we cannot be so direct by saying 'God' and 'pray' and all these words – that's why they like words like 'yoga' and 'meditation'. So instead of 'praying' you can say 'meditation', and instead of 'religion' you can say' yoga'.

If they are religious, then be a little alert, since the church has been very heavy on the people for a hundreds of years:

"You are going to hell if you don't do that! Pay your donations or you'll burn and burn!"

People have turned away from the churches and they are allergic from religion. It is not just that they are outright atheistic – it's the church that has made them into atheists with their heavy preaching. So they are allergic from religious words!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, October 2011)

In the beginning I liked Krishna Consciousness. The deities were beautiful. The singing was very sacred – I liked it. Prashadam was attractive. I liked the books and I thought they were deep and profound, so I liked these things. The principles and all the duties I found them difficult – I found it to be a struggle, with so many duties and rules to follow.

Initially I struggled a bit by doing all that, but I had strong faith and I believed in it, so I decided:

"Okay, so I have to get serious about this".

I got very serious and then I was not able to go into deep meditation on Krishna, therefore I took responsibility for practical service. I could understand the difference between:

Sometimes doing service and taking responsibilities. I took responsibility and then the devotees gave me more and more responsibilities. In that my surrender was challenged again and again, because of these services I had to do all kinds of things that I would never have done. That I had to do just like everyone. For instance if you start a company then you have to surrender and maybe work till midnight. Everyone worked till five but since you had started the company, then you have to work till midnight, otherwise your company is finished…….. so you have to surrender now!

So if you take on the responsibility for Krishna, then you are forced to surrender. So within that surrender, the material desires have to go in the background. Overtime one finds that they are diminished, and then one can become very fixed in ones service and in wanting to surrender and so on.

Naturally, once you become very fixed in that type of service then the taste begins to come………more and more taste! And such taste goes deeper and deeper. Clearly then one develops a genuine and deeper attachment to Krishna – then Krishna becomes one's life and soul! What else is there when it's all:

'Krishna…Krishna………….Krishna, all day long!'

So that's the result and everyone will get there. It's not like it will happen to some and not to others. No! It's not like that!