Compassion?

Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2010, Melbourne)


What is compassion? How can one be compassionate? Is it a sentiment? Hm?
Compassion only really begins if we appreciate that we have something better. If we have something better then we can be compassionate. Otherwise you can go out on book distribution and you can see all your old friends sitting on a terrace somewhere, like drinking outside in the sun, and you can feel compassion for who? Yourself! You have to stand out there with those books in the street, and everyone else is having a good time. Yeah, That's how it is!.
But if we are convinced that we have something better, then we can develop compassion for others...


Then we can experience real compassion.
The more we are relishing Krishna consciousness, the more compassionate we can be; the more we can preach very easily - because we are relishing!
We are relishing our Krishna consciousness; it's so wonderful!
"Please, take some mercy!"
"No no, I don't want to.."
"That's okay!"
Nobody wants it, but they take anyway. Right?
"Take!"

Somehow or other, just give it to them. Right?
When we are full of relishing this Krishna consciousness, then naturally we will want to give it to everyone and then naturally people start appreciating also.
"They have something nice."
It's like,I bought a yellow jacket and someone said:
"Why do you have a yellow jacket?"
I said, "Because it reminds me of the sun, Some bright, positive effulgence in a world where everyone dresses in black and darkness. Krishna is like the sun."
He brings light in the darkness of this world. That is a fact. That is Krishna consciousness! It brings light in the darkness of this world. Krishna surya-sama maya haya andhakara.
Maya is just bringing us so much darkness in all directions:. suffering, burdens, difficulties, stress, anxiety, - Krishna consciousness is just lightening it all up! So if we get absorbed here in the temple -herewhere we are free to worship Krishna, and if we drink it, then compassion will follow.

Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2010, Melbourne)

 

 

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Distributing Books in the Hospital

One thing the devotees did in the Netherlands - I was new, brand new and they took me to these hospitals, in the visiting hour. There were two devotees and we would just boldly walk in with a box of books and then one would stand on a chair and would give a whole speech about the greatness of the work we were doing and helping so many people in the world and for that we were distributing these wonderful books here today and everyone was getting a promotion copy! Yes everone, and in the visiting hours in a ward there can be a hundred people - right? So everyone -a book, then we would ask for a donation and then we would look at somebody who gave a big one and we would go:
"There, take it," hold up the money and say "This gentleman gave--!"
Then everyone else started to give more money also, it was really good - A lot of books and a lot of Laksmi!

It was great -- until the moment that the nurse would walk in and with an icy voice say:
"What is going on here!?"
and then we would have to bluff our way out:
"Um, well.. We're doing the charity action!"
"Charity action? What's that?"
"No, haven't you read the letter!?"
"Letter..? Letter?"
"Yeah! You haven't read? -Yes, yes.."
"No, no"
"It's there, yes! Go check it out!"
So we send her away, and then try to escape!
If we manage to escape, then we would go one floor down and do the same thing again! I almost became a patient in the hospital, just from high blood pressure, anxiety and heart trouble!
But, somehow or other, these kind of activities save us. They save us from the material energy. They save us from the modes of material nature.
I was in total anxiety in that hospital, to tell you the truth, death scared of that icy voice of the nurse that could come any moment, and the police that would follow, and so on..
Still, looking at it now in hindsight, I must say it was very good!
It saved us from the three modes of material nature.
It saved me from dwelling on sense gratification.
It saved me from the iron grip of lust, which is otherwise so difficult to overcome.

In this way, by developing this mood of "let's give this mercy to others" we can become very strong.

Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2010, Melbourne)

 

 

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Wrong Way Prabhu!

Devotee: How can we check if we're going in the wrong way?

Maharaja: By not being independent, but by being in the association of the devotees- Because the devotees, they will protect us.
Therefore we stay in the association of devotees, closely.
The devotees, they will tell us if we're going in the wrong way, oh yes they will. Don't you worry! They will do that. They are very merciful. Devotees are always ready to tell us:
"You're going in the wrong way, Prabhu!" - especially the senior Vaisnavas, their instructions carry more weight, so we take shelter of them as much as possible.

Transcribed by Bhakta Fredrick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, October 2010, Melbourne)

 

 

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The Vaisnava Must Be Generous

At one point I became the temple president in Vrindavan, which is quite a responsibility – big ashrams and so many things. I did that for a few years. At that time I was a grhasta, and then one day early in the morning someone knocked on my door. It was Radha Govinda Swami, and he would knock on my door and then as soon as I opened it – he would offer obesciences. So I too offered obesciences. Then he would just walk away. The next day the same thing happened. For one week he came to my door and offered obesciences, and at each time I said;

" Maharaja please, Maharaja no…no..no… Maharaja what are you doing ? I'm just a grhasta and you are a Sannyasi – what are you doing?"

So after one week he said;

"No it is my duty. I must offer my obesciences. After all you are our father".

I had never thought of that - that I was the father of all the devotees. I thought that I was the temple president and in charge here and responsible of the place. But then I was the father and it had never occurred in my brain – especially Radha Govinda Mahraja's father. I had never thought of that! (laughter)....


He taught me something – since I must say that I started to think about it. That I have to be more like a father: Taking care, and being more kind: More loving and at the same time I must take charge and lead people in the right direction. So it gave me a sense of leadership – a sense of caring and not just being a good administrator.

So something changed. Instead of pulling out a manager's pocket handbook - 37 tips for efficient management. Suddenly I had to be a father. So we are not accustomed to being merciful. We are not accustomed to be a vaisnavas – we don't know what it means. We tend to become serious about our spiritual life because we want to get out of the material world, but we forget that a vaisnava is just an ocean of mercy and we maintain a certain amount of harshness. You know with our dealings, we are insensitive – we are still too self centered. Too self centered in our own experience: Our own need furthering our foreground and we just steam roll other people in human relationships.

This is the symptom of the mode of ignorance actually. This harshness – this insensitivity is due to the mode of ignorance of a vaisnava, because a vaisnava is accepting the wellbeing of others as much as his own! Therefore, a vaisnava is gentle - that means a vaisnava must be generous, and must not only think, " What about myself, but what about the other person?" That we saw in the advanced devotees who really cared for others!




(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, October 2010)

 

 

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