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The Gopis Love – no self interest?

Transcribed by Bhakta Jan
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Sydney, Australia, March 2011)

Ramananda Raya was such a devotee, because Ramananda Raya, he understood the pure love that the Gopis had for Krishna. He was able to explain that and he explained how it was completely selfless and how in their worship there was nothing like:
"Give me"
"Bless, please bless my house"
"Bless my family, bless my this, bless my that, bless my car…Lord while you're blessing may You as well bless everything."

No, nothing like that! The Gopis, they couldn't care less about their own things, they had no self-interest at all…………..

"Well, Well is that true Maharaja, is that true? You know, when Akrura came, he came to Vrndavana with his chariot to take Krishna and Balarama to Mathura, isn't it so? And Krishna and Balarama stood on that chariot and they were laughing and it really looked like they wanted to go. Everyone was in shock. Yashoda was totally shocked, totally shocked!
The cowherd boys were lying unconscious in the forest and the Gopis were grabbing the reins and said: "He cannot go!" But Akrura, being a powerful Kyshatria, just drove away, leaving the residents of Vrinadavana broken hearted in separation.
And Vrindavana just shrivelled up, the Yamuna dried up and everyone was just broken hearted. Why? If Krishna wanted to go to Mathura why didn't the Gopis dance in front of the chariot? If they loved Him so much, if they were totally surrendered to Him, and they loved Him completely, they should have danced, they should have been happy, 'O.K. we are going to Mathura' 'Jay! Jay, jay, going to Mathura!' They should have danced in front of him. 'Yes, if that makes Krishna happy, it makes us happy! We have no other desire than the happiness of Krishna. Wherever He wants to go.' Isn't it?"
But it looks like these Gopis had some selfish desire after all, because they wanted to keep Krishna in Vrndavana for themselves. When Krishna was going off to Mathura, they knew very well, that these ladies of Mathura are very sophisticated, "We are never going to see Him again" It looks like that doesn't it?"
No! That was not the reason, it was not jealousy! That was not the reason, it was not selfishness! Then what was it?
What it was, was that the Gopis knew, the Gopis knew very well:
"Krishna has gone mad. He has lost it. He has lost it! He has totally gone mad! He is leaving Vrndavana! He is insane! He is hurting Himself now, because outside of Vrndavana, He cannot be happy. Therefore we cannot let Him go! We cannot let Him fall prey to this madness; we must save Him and stop Him from leaving Vrndavana, because only in Vrndavana, this is the only place where He can be happy."

And in this way, the Gopis were completely selfless even when they stopped the chariot of Akrura.
There was no self-interest. Amazing!
Ramananda Roy understood this topmost love and explained it to be the highest, the highest devotional service.

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Turtle lane and the Fast Lane

Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, January 2011)

Some years ago in Germany, they had on the Autobahn, where there is no speed limit, they had a sign, and the sign said: "Turtles to the right,"
Yes, You saw a whole line of turtles walking and then in the middle lane there's a medium speed and in the fast lane there's a whatever, unlimited speed.
But all the turtles to the right – so in the Sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya, there also are different lanes and many of us may be in the turtle lane!
What to do, right!?
If you then look at Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, Srinivasa Acarya they are in the fast lane – It's just inconceivable – "whoosh!' They flash their lights!" – and they don't eat, they don't sleep, they just fly by and we are looking like – how is this all possible!!!? "This is inconceivable"
So in this way we are just, well, struggling a bit, but we do our best. Our best is to be faithful – faithful in chanting and then we come together and have these kirtan gatherings and tank up and get some energy. We will walk away from here with something, with some strength, some energy to apply ourselves once again, and then in the end… in the end, we are very optimistic, because we know that there is the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.
That mercy of Srila Prabhupada extends even further than what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu brought. It it said Lord Nityananda made a channel – a channel to make Krishna-prema descend into this world, and then Prabhupada brought it to the modern world in the West.
Then Prabhupada, on the strength of his service – on the strength of his extraordinary service, he attracts Krishna, and by attracting Krishna he can even attract the mercy of Krishna upon those who are not very pure and serious at all.
And that is our hope, that simply by taking shelter of Srila Prabhupada, Krishna's mercy will be attracted.

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Life without devotional service

Sometimes we are not happy in our life because our life is void, it is empty. We haven't filled our lives with blessings and service. If we fill our life with blessings and service then there is no question of emptiness, loneliness or unhappiness. Then it doesn't exist. It all comes from emptiness and that emptiness is simply due to the fact that we haven't filled our life with devotional service.     

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 01 April 2011, Durban, SA)

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We Have All Hope

Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2011)

"I know that my chanting is poor. I know that all that I am offering is broken names and that I'm not really chanting very purely.
But I have hope: 'hope against hope' that with Prabhupada's mercy it will be possible to go back to Godhead."
Therefore, let us come together again and again, and let us chant together again and again so that we can feed of off each other's strength and inspiration, and in that way carry on faithfully.
Just simply faithfully chant throughout a lifetime and take shelter of these four regulative principles.
Then we have all hope, by the words of Srila Prabhupada, by his service – that we can go back to Godhead – and then I am sure we will get Krishna-prema on the way also and even if it be latest at the door of the spiritual world.

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