Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

Renunciation is like karela

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, England, 4th June 2012) Lecture: SB 1.2.7

Renunciation is something like karela – like a bitter sabjhi. Okay it's on the menu and it's good for you, but you don't want a whole plateful of karela. That's a bit too much and probably most people eat less of the karela than the sweet at the end:

'Can I have seconds on the karela? Thirds on the karela?'

It's doubtful you know, only some people who are diabetics or something like that will have more of it, but ordinary people would just say:

'Okay I will have a little bit more of that cake and that cream, just a little. Just a tiny little bit to top it off.'

In this way we can see how Krishna Consciousness is very natural since we naturally go for what is inspiring, what is nice, what is giving, what is pleasurable and that is Krishna! That is the only thing. We somehow or other became that propensity, became misdirected, so it has to be redirected. It is not that the propensity has to be suppressed. The propensity to go for beauty, the propensity to go for sweetness, the propensity can simply be developed in Krishna Consciousness!

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to kksblog.com using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

If we want to survive

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11th May 2012, Sydney, Australia) Lecture: House programme

(Transcribed by Smita Krishna Devi Dasi)

We have to hear from Srimad Bhagavatam. If we don't hear, then how can we enjoy in our spiritual life? And this is the one thing nobody does somehow or other – that part reading. When was the last time we were reading one of those books? In some houses it's still in original plastic! What can we say? It's just one of those things, and then if we do read it's usually on facebook. So I don't know what you get from there. But it's exactly there in Srimad Bhagavatam that we can have the vision and sooner or later if we want to get serious about spiritual life and if we want to survive then it has to come from the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Sanatana Goswami when he was only quite young (still a boy but old enough) then one night he had a dream and in the dream, one brahmana came and offered him Srimad Bhagavatam. So he was quite happy because in those days it was quite rare. Srimad Bhagavatam had to be hand copied; some brahamanas had to hand copy the whole manuscript, huge manuscripts. So most brahmanas would go for the Bhagavad-Gita or something shorter. There were not many manuscripts of the Bhagavatam around, so then in his dream the brahamana gave him Srimad Bhagavatam and he was in ecstasy and then he woke up from the dream.

So that very day, the same brahmana came to his house and gave him Srimad Bhagavatam. That really was something mystic, since he dreamt about it before and then he got it. It was not just someone gave him the Bhagavatam. So he took it very seriously. So this story is found in the 'Bhakti-Ratnakara,' which is a very interesting book because it gives a lot of history of our movement from just after Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and something about six Goswamis, Narottama Das Thakura, Srivasa Acharya and Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami who lived very long time. Like that Bhakti-Ratnakara is a book to read!

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to kksblog.com using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

Seriously Engaged

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Indradyumna Swami's Facebook Notes using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

Seeking Immortality

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Indradyumna Swami's Facebook Notes using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites

Sent to you by dinesh via Google Reader:

The Guru's Blessing

Things you can do from here:

• Subscribe to Indradyumna Swami's Facebook Notes using Google Reader
• Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites