(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Finland, 2011)

Srila Prabhupada once gave an example about the microphone. He said:

"We don't really need a microphone. We are only using the microphone to purify the microphone maker."

When I heard that it was like, 'someone pushed the button' and I was thinking:

"Well if it's the microphone maker, then what about the maker of the seat? The one who made the wood for the floor? The one who made the lights on the ceiling? All the things we use….and so many things…..and if all these people are getting purified, than how great is the effect of this movement!"

Just as I was thinking like that, I saw little devotee children riding on little tricycles, and I was thinking:

"As they were riding on their tricycles, they were delivering the three worlds!"

One might think that I was exaggerating, but no, they were devotee children. They're presence is auspicious! They are actually bringing auspiciousness wherever they go! So in this way we begin to see this movement more and more in all its potency!

During the good times in spiritual life, it's not the time to enjoy. No, when the good times are there it's time to stock up, to store as much Krsna consciousness as we can, take real advantage because we are going to need it….we are going to need it when hell comes! Every little bit of investment in Krsna consciousness pays off…

(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, September 2011, Durban, SA)

Our spiritual practice is from morning till night. From the moment we come into conscious in the morning it begins, even before we open our eyes already there is a duty immediately. And the first thing we do when we open our eyes is to offer obeisances, immediately. In the Hari Bhakti Vilasa it is said that one should remember the name of one's worshipable deities, that one should offer prayers. Not that in the morning you quickly read the sms's that might have come in over night or download mail before you brush your teeth or start mundane jokes. One of the principles in spiritual life is that we avoid mundane sound vibration in the mornings as much as possible. I personally try when I have the opportunity to just have no mundane sound at all for as long as possible- delay it, postpone it somehow or other. Don't let it enter, no mundane sound. Only spiritual sound!

Fruska Gauranga, Serbian Summer Camp

16.07.2011.

… Now, the interesting part is the topic of empowerment. Nakula Brahmacari became empowered in an extraordinary way. But empowerment is a very important principle in our spiritual life, because improvement means that Krishna will give us power which goes beyond our own ability.

See, for example, I am from Holland, it is a very flat country and very low. There is a lot of water around, and every field is just flat and it has water around it on four sides, little canals. So Dutch boys – they play with that. We all go and jump over the canals. Sometimes they are two meters wide, sometimes three, sometimes four… You know… It's a fun game. Everybody knows for himself what he can and cannot do. Three meters – ok, four meters – maybe, but five meters – no, not really! J

So, like that, we calculate. And life is all about calculation! We calculate if we can cross the round before the car comes, we calculate what we can do with our money, we calculate how we can deal with people, and we calculate how much we can say to a certain person: to one a little more than to another one… Anyway, when the element of empowerment comes into our life it means that somehow all the calculations are no longer valid. And that I find very interesting.

Because we always think: I am limited in this way, I can only do so much. And in our spiritual life we are fearful. We are afraid to just give up what we have… We all calculate like that: I will nicely renounce the things I didn't want any way, but somehow or other I'll engage all things that I want to in Krishna's service, of course. On my nice car I'll put a new number plate: 4 U Krishna  (for you Krishna)… Like that, we are afraid to let go. And we are calculating little by little, we let go of a little and then we see: what mercy has Krishna given me now? And if He gives me some, then I'll let go of some more.  And in this way we don't advance, in this way for years we just stay in same old position… Stay kanistha adhikari -those who have kamala sraddha, weak faith.  Whereas the madhyama adhikari should put full faith in the instruction of Krishna and just believe: that is where happiness is to be found! Even if on the material plain it doesn't look logical, I'll put my faith in the scripture. And then Krishna will help.

This element of empowerment is element where Krishna gives us strength. That would be available for such devotees. So empowerment begins for those who are ready to rely on Krishna. And then, of course, the more and more one relies on Krishna, the more Krishna will arrange…

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2011)

Krishna made arrangements for the conditioned souls to receive transcendental knowledge, and He created the Vedas – the entire mountain of all vedic knowledge! Then just at the edge of this mountain, the ocean of mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had reached and the wave of Mahaprabhu's mercy washed onto the beach, and left a watermark there…on the beach…a line. On that ocean of Mahaprabhu's mercy came an extremely powerful wave, which was the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and had extended still further than the mercy of Mahaprabhu…and this made a further watermark, high up on that beach.

So in this way, we have on the one hand the vedic injunctions, and on the other hand we cannot follow all the vedic injunctions. It's very difficult to follow. We have the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and even that we find difficult to follow. Then we have the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and even that we find difficult to follow…that's more or less were it's at.

For example, if you read the book 'The Hari Bhakti Vilasa', which is a compilation of many quotes from many various vedic sources. It is said that they ask a question:

"If anyone eats on Ekadasi…well it says in the 'Hari Bhakti Vilasa' that, if we eat on Ekadasi, then in the next life one will become a hog!".

So what do you think of that? So if you eat anything, than you become a hog according to the 'Hari Bhakti Vilasa'. Really sorry – including the French fries and those Ekadasi goodies….I'm so sorry. So there is an extended license here, that we are getting over the 'Hari Bhakti Vilasa'. We have to understand that Srila Prabhupada just gave us a little bit more leeway and there you go, you are getting ready for tomorrow, and usually eat more on Ekadasi day! So that's the Hare Krishna Movement!

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