(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Finland, 2011)

We should understand that we are all caught here in our material bodies, and that the material bodies are dictating so many desires to us, when all these desires are not actually ours….but we are faithfully accepting them as ours!

"This is my desires".

And we think so many times like this, but the fact of the matter is that, these are the dictates of the body. Just as a simple example of when I was ten years old, I couldn't wait for my best friend to come and ring the doorbell and ask for me to come and play outside. If that were to happen now then he would be ring the doorbell and say:

"Maharaja, come, let's go play outside"..

And I would look at him and think:

"Too much sun, or something like that".

That is a fact, that we change, and our needs change very much and with it these are simply dictates of the body!

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Finland, 2011)

Srila Prabhupada had created quite an elaborate support structure. He created a network of temples around the world! In 1966 he created the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

There was a program in the 'Matchless Gifts' storefront, and suddenly, one man in a suit (who was also there) stood up and Prabhupada introduced him as a lawyer. The lawyer had a document for starting the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. They needed some volunteers to sign all the documents. So everyone was looking and thinking:

"What is this?"

I mean they were all hippies and were looking at the lawyer and thinking:

"What is all this….a lawyer…..a document….and a society?"

But Prabhupada really wanted it. So okay there were a few that volunteered to sign. Prabhupada's society was a fact. Since that time we have found that many devotees have faithfully taken up service in Prabhupada's institution, and they also faithfully worked to maintain, Prabhupada's institution!

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Kadamba Kanana Maharaja left Munich on Monday noon to fly off to Johannesburg via England. Arriving there the next morning, he immediately flew to Durban, where he was to stay for four days. These days were filled with a whole variety of programs…..!!!

On Wednesday Maharaja started off with a Srimad Bhagavatam class, which he ended early due to an appointment at the Indian embassy. Later in the day he rocked the students at a local university program with a flying kirtana, followed by an inspiring talk about overcoming the bad qualities in ourselves by chanting the Maha Mantra. In the evening he then visited the nama hata program in Umlazi, an African township area in Durban, again leading a full swing kirtana and giving a talk about real solutions for the suffering in this world, both on a material and a spiritual level.

On Thursday then, there was another short university program at noon time. Then in the evening, Maharaja went to Krsna Charana's house, whose daughter had a 5th year birthday party, with Maharaja and Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja as her special guests! It was a colorful program, filled with bhajanas, a speech, theater and cake! Enjoy the pictures!

Can't view the slideshow? Visit flickr!

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Before his big trip to South Africa, Australia and India, Kadamba Kanana Maharaja spent a few more days in Munich, from where he eventually also flew off to Johannesburg. In Munich Maharaja gave the Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita classes and gave a talk at the weekly sunday feast program. It was a more or less calm stay, suitable to prepare for the upcoming journey. Enjoy the pictures!

If you cannot view the slideshow, please visit flickr.

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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Finland, 2011)

I went to Woodstock, and there in amidst of four thousand hippies who were all there, I saw all kinds of people. They had a pipe in the middle, and there was water coming out like a fountain. There was a really big fat man, who was wearing only swimming trousers or shorts or something like that. This man was lying in the mud and rolling in it. He was covered in mud. I have never seen a human being look more like a pig than him! He was literally big and fat and rolling in the mud. I thought:

"Where am I?"

Then I was in the village of peace with Indradyumna Maharaja, and suddenly Jagai and Madhai walked in, out of nowhere. Madhai was wearing a crown made from a cardboard box, and he had put wine bottles in the crown. There were all series of wine bottles like a crown on his head. And Jagai had his dreadlocks tied to empty beer cans. So he had a load of empty beer cans.

So they were walking in and they couldn't walk straight. They came in and I wanted to give them a contract. I thought:

"I'm going to sign these guys in the play and hire them as Jagai and Madhai".

I have never seen such good Jagai and Madhais like that – they were the best. About fifteen minutes later I saw them with a plate of prasadam and they were feeding each other! They were taking a bite from the papadum. It was already clear that Lord Caitanya's movement had already got them, because even if you just serve the holy name; even if you partake in the sankirtan; even if you don't chant; even if you do a little sewa….serving the holy name is already giving benefits!

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