(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2011)


In the earlier days of this movement it was very mission based. One's level of advancement in Krishna Consciousness was being measured to how much one was willing to take responsibility in service within the movement.

Later, the focus of our movement shifted somewhere in the mid eighties to a more individual based movement. I sometimes compare it to the renaissance, because in the renaissance people came out of the middle ages, where you were told to think in a certain way. In the renaissance people broke out and began to think along individual lines.

Well some thing like that happened in Iskcon in the mid eighties. Everyone started to think:

"Well in my spiritual life how am I experiencing it….how am I feeling it and what is my propensity? How should I express my bhakti?"

Things like this became very relevant and that has kind of survived into the present day, which is still there. Whereas in the earlier era of Iskcon the spirit was, simply to get involved and take up service, which was a sign of advancement. Anyone who was dragging his feet was in maya and he was also told that!

So one's Krishna Consciousness was directly linked to how much service one was doing. Nowadays, it may not always be seen like that. There was an element of truth in that earlier approach, because that leads to spiritual advancement. It is not automatically that one who takes on a lot of responsibility is spiritually advanced because some take responsibility (and we found out about that) out of material motives…for name fame and glory, and ambitious people… people with material ambition can sometimes do service for quite a while, and then they run out of steam.

So it is not necessarily that it is fuelled by spiritual advancement, but it is a fact that if one keeps on dedicating himself to devotional service in this movement, then one will become spiritually advanced, and I do want to make this point that there is a need for devotees in this day and age to come forward to take some service!

(Kadamaba Kanana Swami, February 2011)

Sometimes we join a spiritual movement with the idea of:

'Now I will be relieved from all this struggle!"

But that is not a fact since the struggle continues just as hard. Some people really come with that motive:
"It's too heavy….the struggle for existence. I want relief…..let me take shelter in the spiritual movement".

They will be confronted with the hard reality that in devotional service we are also dealing with the material energy. In fact, sometimes even to a greater extent, because in devotional service we have a principle known as 'just surrender!' I experienced this on several occasions:

One year I came to New York, and had just arrived, and Romapada Swami from the GBC came out of the office. He looked around and asked:

"Is there anyone who can drive?"

Then he looks at me and asks:

"Can you Drive?"

Well what do you say? Those are the moments where you want to say 'No!' I said:

"Well yes".

"Great…great! We've got a driver….phew!"

They had a driver. They took me and there was no such thing as saying:

"But I had hardly slept last night because I was flying throughout the night".

I was now the driver. We were walking they gave me the key to the car, and when we we were coming around the two blocks, I then saw that the vehicle which was a big yellow truck with a flat back…I didn't even have a licence for that, but everyone was so eager:

"You're the driver!"

Somehow or other I just became overpowered. In the next moment I was driving a big yellow truck with the kirtan party in the back, through New York and my guide was a non driver! Non drivers they tell you:

"Turn right here!"

Instead of saying:

"Pull up towards the right, and then we turn right".

I cut the traffic in New York. It was intense and suddenly police cars came from all sides and I saw myself in jail!

They didn't come after me but they went after a shoplifter, who did put his hands against the wall, and several police cars were there. The craziest situation and I thought:

"If I would have just listened to my father, and just stayed nicely in the material life, then this would never have happened to me!"

I would have just got a job according to my education and my whole life would be lived nicely – a decent life. Instead the madman that I was, I joined the Hare Krishna movement, and see what came of it! I went through a moment like this.

So it is certainly not the case that in spiritual life automatically our life will become easier! No, not at all!

'But shouldn't we experience some relief from the pains of the material existence?'

Yes but this comes exactly by maybe even more difficulties. We are taking on so many difficulties in the service of Krishna. By taking on all these difficulties in the service of Krishna is our saving grace, because that will not leave us and it will create absorption. If everything was just only very sweet, then the mind would still think:

"Maybe the grass is greener on the other side?"

When there is overwhelming problems in Krishna Consciousness to deal with – then that is our saving grace because it totally absorbs the mind and then after serving Krishna…. and doing that for Krishna, then one day we will find that our material desires are diminished! They have just automatically diminished simply by engaging in this devotional service and that is how it works!

After an ecstatic Summer Camp in Serbia, Maharaja traveled by plain to Germany. He arrived at the Munich temple just in time to give the Sunday feast lecture where he spoke on the five different kinds of worship. The topic is complex but due to his depth of realization and understanding, Maharaja was able to explain such subject matters at a level that resonated perfectly with the audience. He spent a further two days at the temple to rejuvenate in preparation for the upcoming Ratha Yatra in Berlin.

On the way to Berlin, Maharaja stopped-over in Leipzig where he had pleasant stay at the highly enthusiastic temple dominated by saffron-clad, stalwart book distributors. He has been a great source of inspiration to the resident devotees and continued doing so by giving daily morning and evening classes. But during this visit, his teachings extended beyond the Vyasasana when he entered the kitchen and demonstrated how to make the perfect chapati!

Maharaja arrived in Berlin on Friday, the eve of Ratha Yatra. Their Lordships Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subadra, the presiding Deities of the Berlin temple, were gifted by the King of Orissa. Take note of Their outstanding beauty! On Saturday morning, Jaganatha mounted His chariot adorned by colourful floral arrangements and massive speakers to carry the Holy Name through the inner city of Berlin. The kirtana star cast featured HH Janananda Maharaja, HH Sacinandana Maharaja and HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaja. After the procession, followed a stage program that included dance, theatre, choir and a grand finale lead by HH Sacinandana Maharaja and HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaja. It was the perfect end to a joyful day.

Enjoy the photos!

If you cannot view the slide show below, please visit flickr.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Stockholm, June 2011)

Krsna reciprocates with His devotees. It's not only that Krsna is the Supreme Controller and, pleased with the service of His devotee, is then bestowing some benediction.  Like the worshippers of the demigods are worshipping for some benediction.  But Krsna is not like that.

Krsna becomes captured! (Sanskrit) Krsna is saying that He is always in the heart of the devotee, and the devotee is always in His heart.  So Krsna becomes emotionally involved with His devotee.  He becomes captured by His devotee, and therefore Krsna reciprocates with His devotee.

That is something extraordinary.  That is an understanding of the nature of the Supreme Lord which is not found so clearly in other concepts of the Lord.  Here Krsna Consciousness stands out.  There are many God concepts and religious understandings, and in this religious understanding, yes, the omnipotent and the omniscient features of the Lord are understood.

That is understood, but it is not understood that the Lord becomes very personally emotionally involved with His devotee and becomes captured by that devotee as a well-wisher, and gives Himself completely, and therefore becomes very intimately involved with His devotee.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, February 2011)

A pure devotee is in the material world but only externally so. His focus is not on the material energy, and even upon looking at the material energy he always see it as a connection with Krishna. He sees everything simply as an expansion of Krishna!

The conditioned soul may look up at the sky and the luminaries in the sky and wonder what is out there? He may consider:

'What is out there in the universe?'

But the pure devotee is not having any such questions. He is seeing Krishna and how everything originates from Krishna as well as everything is simply emanating from Krishna. He sees everywhere Krishna's energy and in this way he is not for a moment bewildered by this material energy. He rather see Krishna.

The material energy may show different features. Features of extraordinary beauty and ghastly features! And whenever a conditioned soul sees a form of beauty he melts (or she melts). He melts immediately and develops a desire to enjoy this particular object. That is the nature of material contemplation!

But such contemplation doesn't arise in the pure devotee. It is not that he is living in a constant battle by seeing the temptation of the all attractive material energy and saying:

"No I choose Krishna!"

That is the position of the sādhaka who his engaging in the process of pure devotional service, but who within his heart may still be confronted with remnants of material attachments. But one who is truly absorbed in appreciating Krishna…..absorbed in appreciating that service to Krishna is the only activity, and who is always from moment to moment thinking about devotional service to Krishna – such a devotee has no interest in the material energy!

It is the mercy of the devotees that we are looking for because they have pleased Krsna.  So they have credit with Krsna. Well in this world it also works like that; if someone has very good relationships with a big person, well that's very helpful to have such a connection because that will open many doors! It's who you know in this world they say.

Well you know, Prabhupada knows Krsna very well! Quite close! And he also knows Lord Caitanya who is extremely merciful and very connected! So when Prabhupada prays, it helps a lot. When Prabhupada says, 'please accept these devotees who chant 16 rounds and follow 4 regulative principles,' that helps a lot! And that is the whole principle of Lord Caitanya's movement, it is based on that mercy; it is based on the pure devotees who are praying.

(Kadmaba Kanana Swami, Preoria, South Africa, 2011)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explains to Sanatana Gosvami that we must follow in the footsteps of the eternal residents of Vrndavana and we must in the same way always act for the pleasure of Krsna. Therefore in our sadhana, in our devotional practice, we learn to act for the pleasure of Krsna: we cook for Krsna, we keep the temple clean for Krsna- everything with Krsna in the centre.

My first big festival in the temple was Gaura Purnima and I was celebrating that in the Bhaktivedanta Manor and I had just returned from India. They had a very big room, much bigger than this one, and we- brand new devotees- our service was to roll sweet balls the whole day and we were fasting and it was just too much for my mind! Sitting with an ocean of sweet balls and the whole room was filling up and we were sitting in an ocean of prasadam while fasting! And I was thinking, 'what kind of movement is this? They are fasting and then the whole day they are in the kitchen cooking and busy with prasadam and all kinds of preparations. What is this process?'

I thought it was strange because I was self-centered and I was thinking it's all austerity that we are performing for our own purification. I didn't understand for one day, for one day it is the day of Krsna and on this day instead of worrying of our own senses, as we usually do, 'oh yes, let's put some extra cheese on the pizza! And would you like a chilli on your pizza? And what would you like with the pizza? What kind of ice cream shall we take out of the deep freezer so that it becomes a little soft- the mango one, the strawberry one or the chocolate crunch?' Like that we are busy with all kinds of arrangements and the 'butter paneer masala! Our favorite! It must be there together with the kachori!' Like this these ways in which we think how we are going to have a good weekend.

And then it's that one day, a special festival and we put all our own sense enjoyment aside. There will be no arrangements made for our sense enjoyment. All the arrangements are made only for Krsna's pleasure- everything!

The residents of Vrndavana do that everyday!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Pretoria, South Africa, 2011)