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True Respect

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Vrindavan Meditations

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LOVE, PEACE and the RASCAL

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 December 2011, Cape Town, South Africa)

Srimad Bhagavatam

When we come to the spiritual platform, we think it's only love and only peace, that there's only one feeling, one emotion… LOVE and PEACE.

But no, no, no… true spiritual emotions are not only 'lovey dovey', it is also YOU RASCAL! We know one of Prabhupada's favourite words was rascal. In fact, I didn't even know the word before I started reading Prabhupada's books. I learnt the word from Prabhupada. It may even be an out-dated word but in Iskcon it's a bit of an endearing word.

When people were doing all kinds of things, Prabhupada was ready to call them rascals! The whole world is engaging in all kinds of abominable activities and in a modern way of thinking, we start to think of them more and more like victims… a victim of the circumstance. But Prabhupada would say rascal! Because it would make people responsible… because you know what you are doing… and you know what you supposed to do… you know it's wrong…and still doing it… rascal!

So the paramahamsa platform means to take responsibility to rearrange one's life.

But ohhh, so much work (one may say), then lazy rascal… too lazy to rearrange your life!

Well, it's so difficult, it takes so much energy. I mean I'm trying…

No, trying is not good enough, you must do it. Trying basically means that you are not doing it… that means RASCAL!

Like that Prabhupada has this refreshing spirit of being rebellious and had a fighting spirit. Not just being defeated… ohhh, it's so difficult. And we make it more difficult than it already is so that we don't have to do anything about it and everybody will say: Well, that's very reasonable. You have presented so many points there and we understand. Because everyone, in the back of their mind, is thinking that tomorrow it may be my turn. This is a pact that the rascals have with each other!

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Surcharging the world with happiness

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Mayapur, November 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritamrta Part 2

The appearance of Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu Nityananda had surcharged the world with happiness! As the sun and moon drives away darkness by their appearance and reveal the nature of everything. These two brothers had dissipated the darkness of ignorance – covering the living beings and enlightening them with the absolute truth…………………By the grace of Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda, this darkness is removed and the truth is brought to light!

The absolute truth is Sri Krishna, and loving devotion to Sri Krishna exhibited in pure love is achieved through congregational chanting of the holy name which is essence of all bliss. The sun and moon dissipates the darkness of the external world and thus reveals external material objects, like pots and plates.

But these two brothers, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda had dissipated the darkness of the inner core of the heart and thus they help one meet the two kinds of bhagavatas (person or things in relationship with the Lord). In the Mangalacarana, the line:

'hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ' (C.c.Adi1.4).

'Hṛdaya-kandare' - means deep caves or cavities in the heart, or the inner most chambers…….. One of the bhagavatas is the great scripture – Srimad Bhagavatam and the other is the pure devotee absorbed in mellows of loving devotion.

In these actions of the two bhagavatas, the Lord instils the mellows of the transcendental loving service in the heart of the living being, and thus the Lord (in the heart of His devotees) comes under control of the devotee's love. The first one is that both brothers appear simultaneously, and other is that they illuminate the inner most dance of the heart!

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Becoming sinless…

(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 11 December 2011, Durban)

No one can become sinless on his own. One cannot decide that, 'from today on I will be sinless.' It doesn't work like that. One might temporarily give up some sinful activities, like on the 1^st of January, people have all these good promises like, 'I'll stop smoking, I'll stop this…and I'll start…' so many things. But on the 2^nd of January it gets tough and if you make it to the 3^rd then you're doing extremely good! So it is like that. Some people are extremely determined and they can give up some sinful activities. Someone can say, 'I'll stop smoking…' and then smoke the last and then finished! Very determined, but all this is not durable. Just by a good decision, good intentions and so on, one cannot become sinless. It won't work. Well many of us might of have thought of many things we could do to become sinless. But the only real way to become sinless is to engage in constant devotional service. That's the only way to become sinless- to hear about Krsna, to glorify Krsna, to serve Krsna in some way or another- all the time! As we increase that devotional service, all the sinfulness is pushed out of our life, permanently!

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We have to be sober!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami Govinda Valley, Austrailia, 2011) Lecture – S.B.3.25.27

We have get sober. It's just like driving on the highway, and the music is playing…nice and gentle music and you are doing 140 km, and you are driving at a good speed, and it is all sweet and rosy………you kind of get into the illusion that it is very comfy there. You are very comfortable and it is nice in the car on a good soft seat.

But we forget that you are racing with what Prabhupada calls, 'Neck braking speed' over the road and you are sitting behind one metre away from an explosive motor which is at high temperature and is a highly explosive stuff! All the time it is getting hotter and hotter…… you are sitting very close to it form the nice little dashboard which looks very cool, and the whole thing creates an illusion of security.

So one has to be sober behind the wheel…and you get all kinds of signs from the cops to sober people up. Get out of the bubble and realise the serious risk that is there! Where at any moment it can suddenly turnaround with screaming rubber and steel!! With glass everywhere!! And if you have seen accidents then it gets intense!

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Independent of Krishna

(Kadamba Kanana Swami Govinda Valley, Australia, 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritāmṛta

Srila Prahbupada explains that actually it's not the desire of Krishna, that this world was created. Krishna doesn't want to create this world. It is because we are desiring to be in a situation, where we are independent from Him! Then he has to create a situation which is covered over. It cannot be independent of Him, because nothing can be independent from Him! But it is covered over by illusion, which makes it look as if it is independent from Him.

So he doesn't enjoy that! He gets no pleasure out of that. It hurts His heart but it's inevitable, and of course, He builds in some elements that will indirectly bring back all the living beings back to Him. And that's the only pleasure He gets out of all the material creation. He inspires Brahma to create this world, and Brahma sometimes has to do things in the creation that he doesn't like! Like Brahma has to create influences of nescience, forgetfulness and he really doesn't feel good about that, but he has to do it to fulfil our desires!

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We are eternal beings!

Kadamba Kanana Swami Govinda Valley, 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritāmṛta

The vacuum inside of our heart – that empty feeling is still not filled. Still there is a need for more, no matter how much we are experiencing in this world. So Lord Caitanya in this way came to drive out that ignorance. He also came to drive out the impersonalist concept. The concept that our identity, our sense of self is false, and when we come to spiritual realization, then we can actually realize that we are not that…..that we are not this temporary material energy, but that we are eternal beings!

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Kicked to a next destination

Kadamba Kanana Swami Govinda Valley, 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritāmṛta

Srila Prabhupada was speaking about football (lets say soccer and not football) and the point was that people were playing with that ball, and they considered themselves the players. So Prabhupada said:

"They think they are the players, when they are in actuality the ball".

So have we ever thought of ourselves as the ball in the game?

So Prabhupada said:

"As the player….. no everyone is the player in this world".

Playing somehow or other, manipulating, arranging ….trying to get a good result – we know what we're doing, but Srila Prabhupada said:

"No, in reality we are the ball and in any point in time we can be kicked. Kicked to a next destination!"

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Another type of suffering

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Radhadesh, Belgium, 2011) Lecture –Initiation, Part 1

Although we desired happiness in the material world, but somehow or other the activities that we were performing were not really successful. Sometimes for a while it seems successful but then it didn't work out. As pointed out by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura that:

"One is baffled in material life."

Baffled means defeated…we are defeated. Bhagavatam says:

"parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto
yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam", (S.B. 5.5.5).

When a person is not dedicating his life to the absolute truth (not only into enquiring about the absolute truth, but also not living according to the absolute truth)then that person is entangling himself in the network of more and more complications, which are endless. And these complications are ultimately leading to unhappiness.

Sometimes, the unhappiness may not be acute. Not acute in the sense that the suffering is so much prevalent. Especially in the western world where we are living in, where there is a lot of comfort. Sometimes people say:

"But I have never really experienced so much suffering. My life has been quite pleasant".

Yes, it may have been, but there is another type of suffering…..the suffering of not being fulfilled. Maybe when we live in comfort in our western world and after so many years, there has been peace in society, with so many years economically we have been doing well….we have all lived in great opulence in the western world. But we have only experienced emptiness of all that opulent lifestyle. The emptiness – the lack of happiness in that. So therefore, it is a fact that without Krishna Consciousness one cannot be happy!

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There is no life without the Bhagavatam

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Radhadesh, Belgium, 2011) Lecture – C.c Adi 7.20-21

There is absorption in chanting and hearing Srimad Bhagavatam. If we have not read the Srimad Bhagavatam (there are many devotees in our movement who have not read the Srimad Bhagavatam) then that means that you have given up the fight! It also means that you have not fulfilled your duty….that means that you are below the minimum. Sometimes they speak about being below the poverty level. You are below the poverty level….not even the minimum.

Without the Bhagavatam, you cannot live; without the Bhagavatam you are dead; without the Bhagavatam you are a ghost. It's like that, because the Bhagavatam is the very foundation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement!

We see the evidence in the Caitanya-caritamrta, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu presents the principle evidence which is also in the Bhagavatam….all in his preaching, and we see that the whole lifestyle that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was teaching is found in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Without Srimad Bhagavatam one cannot live! It is like that, what is there without it?

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We must give ourselves with our heart!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Radhadesh, Belgium, 2011) Lecture – BG.15.3-4

I have a story about Andre who lived in Amsterdam. Andre was an unusual person, because he was bold. When other people were holding back, Andre didn't. Andre went to see the director of the biggest chain store (the big multi storey warehouses that are all over the country). He went and said to the director:

"In your book department, you do not have any books by A.C. Bhaktivedenta Swami Prabhupada. That's not correct. You should have them!"

And the director said:

"You know, you are bold! No one has ever walked into my office like that! I like you. I'll take them!"

And he put all the books …..full set of Prabhupada's books on the shelf of the chain store".

He was bold. He got himself from the society… a house for 'food for life', and like that Andre was extraordinary, but he had another side – his dark side. He was a little weak on the regulative principles and was living in Amsterdam, which is not a very safe place if you are having difficulties of that nature.

So I heard at one point, when I was in India, that Andre got AIDS. I happened to be coming through to Netherlands, and they told me:

"He's very ill now, and that these were his last days and if you wish, you can go to see him."

So I went to see him in a special clinic. When I was there, he coughed a ball of mucus…the size of the tennis ball came out! I couldn't believe it! Then he said:

"I like your singing."

So I said:

"Thank you very much."

He said:

"Can you sing on my funeral?"

I didn't know what I to say. I could say no, but I was thinking that it was best to get out! I was thinking:

"Do I have to stay here? I was meant to leave in three days".

Anyway he did leave his body very quickly, and I did make it for the funeral. It was an amphitheatre, and on the stage there was a box. So they asked me to start the kirtan. But before that someone had read out a letter, that Andre had written, which said:

"So all of you are my friends. You all think that I am dead, but you are wrong! I'm still alive and I'm still around. All of you are my friends, and all of you are very different, since you have all come from very different backgrounds. But for today for my sake, I want you to all appreciate each other. Now in a few moments, some of the Hare Krishna movement will come forward and will start to sing the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, and I want all of you to sing along…..and not a little bit, but from the heart! Afterwards, there will be a feast served in my honour at the temple and you are all invited!"

So that was all read. So they started singing….and really got into it, and there was this big lady who started to sing in an operatic style! Of all the things….god not like that! The kirtan ended in twenty five minutes, and we got the signal to stop as per our agreement. As I stopped, they played 'Govinda' on tape and then the box sunk into the stage and below the stage they burn the box! The people cracked….they cracked. When the tune 'Govinda' was heard, they fell into each other's arms and they emotionally just cracked. After that one said:

"We never went to a funeral like that!"

Actually Andre had forgotten to mention that in his last days, he got initiated by P.D. Govinda Maharaja….just as a last thing and that was when he became Madhan Gopal…..so Madhan Gopal Ki Jay!

Yes, I always thought that he struggled, but he really did something at the same time, and it really did attract the mercy. Of course, it is best not to struggle and to just take shelter, and one who faithfully takes shelter is doing a great thing. But still we cannot become complacent. We must give ourselves with our heart and do something…do something….especially us!

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His prayers is with us!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, UK, May 2011) Initiation Lecture

What the spiritual master really wants is that his disciples mature and not just wait for the spiritual master to bring the water, but that they learn to go to the well themselves! That's what he wants. Naturally, it is the same for the parent – okay when the child is very small, then you bring them everything, but at one point you want the child to grow up and get to the point of starting to bring it in by themselves. So spiritual life is exactly the same. It is exactly like that!

In the beginning, yes the spiritual master will nourish the disciple, like a bird who is taking care of its young, and you can see these birds flying up and down……and bringing more……..and the little birds just sits there with their mouths open…and that's it.

It is said that, one type of spiritual master is taking care of his disciples, like the bird taking care of its young. Another type of spiritual master is taking care of his disciples like a fish is taking care of its young. The fish is swimming in the water and is not really feeding its young in the same way as the bird. But the fish is keeping an eye (the fish has big eyes)…..so the fish is keeping an eye on the young and if there is any danger then suddenly that big fish will be there. So that is another level, not that we spoon feed the disciple, but there is supervision.

Finally, there is the third model, which is the model of the tortoise. The tortoise is laying its eggs in the sand. When the season is warm, the heat of the sun, heats up that sand and the eggs will come to the point where they break and the young little turtles come out in that way. So the turtle is just taking care of its young by meditation. So sometimes the spiritual master will take care of his disciples by meditation. Sometimes the disciples will say:

"Oh, I haven't seen my spiritual master for such a long time. He didn't send me any emails, and he didn't even reply to my last three emails. Oh, I don't think I have much of a relationship!"

No…no, the meditation is always there…his prayer is always there. He is always our well wisher, but how many emails can any human being answer? Even with a thousand arms, one could still not answer all the emails that one receives! These days it is impossible! So in this way, we understand that the spiritual master is our ever well wisher! He is always with us, because his prayer is with us!

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The beauty of the spiritual world part 1

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Radhadesh, Belgium, 2011) Lecture – BG.15.3-4

Krishna is extremely beautiful. It is a kind of beauty that reflects this purity. Generally speaking, beauty suggests purity. Even in the story of Putana who was a witch. Putana disguised herself as an extremely beautiful….almost like a goddess, and she just could do anything! She was so beautiful that everyone said:

"Oh, she must be a great personality!"

So even in this world, we associate beauty with a noble character. Of course, we see that Dasaratha got a little bit disillusioned with his beautiful Kaikeyi. Although she was beautiful on the outside, but she showed some envy in her character, that he was not expecting and it broke his heart.

So in the material world beauty is not always representing purity! But in the spiritual world it does, and therefore the beauty of the spiritual world is of another nature. So when we see Krishna's whole appearance, it is extremely beautiful and at the same time it is reflecting His noble character. It's different then the cold beauty of some sort of professional blonde who is being paid for endless photos and posing with different smiles and it looks like, she's seen it all, done it all, and heard it all and knows it all…..and lost her innocence.

So in Krishna there is innocence and there is purity, because there is no hidden agenda in Krishna's character. Krishna is a pure well wisher of all living beings, and His only interest is the wellbeing of all!

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The complete process

(Kadamba Kanana Swami Govinda Valley, Austrailia, 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritāmṛta

When I was in Amsterdam in the early seventies, I saw the Hare Krishnas. I saw them for the first time in Dams Square. They were singing and dancing, and were really enthusiastic……and there were a group of them who were chanting very fast:

"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare".

They were jumping up and down like mad!I was looking at them and thinking:

"Total religious fanatics!"

I never ever thought to myself:

"Such religious extremity as this."

And I just looked at them……it was just something extraordinary, and it seemed like the ultimate emblem of other worldliness. It seemed that these people had totally lost touch with reality, and the way they dressed sort of confirmed it! Because there was a red sock on one foot and a green sock on another, which makes you think that:

"They kind of lost it in their Hare Krishna cloud, by just chanting".

So I wanted to establish today that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement is not at all worldly, and not at all just taking us to very ethereal dimensions. I wanted to establish that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement is very practical and dealing with the practical reality of everyday, because rather then taking us away from this world, it simply points out that:"Everything by nature has a connection with the Supreme Lord, and therefore, everything should simply be used for the service to Him".

And that's the whole idea. So in that way, one doesn't need to turn away from the world. One doesn't need to live in a cave, or give up everything. One can simply live in the world, but use it in a different way and that made a lot of sense. And that not only makes a lot of sense but that puts the Hare Krishna movement (which was started by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) in the middle of the world! It puts it in the middle of life! It doesn't put it in the forest, or the cave, or the monasteries, or in hiding since it puts it simply in everyday dealings…..and it purifies the everyday dealings which is very necessary, because at this point everyone thinks that it is they who are in the centre of the universe – yes:

"Accidentally I happened to be in the centre of the universe. What do you mean? No, I am in the centre of the universe!"

Everyone is thinking that:

"Everything is for my pleasure. Everything is for my purposes, for my comfort, for my protection, for my profits, for me!"

Yes – everything and everyone………….and if we changed that mood, then we will know that we are all here, and everything is here for the one purpose – to serve the Supreme Lord. Suddenly, then the world instead of being divided, becomes united. Suddenly, we become harmonious. If we recognise that all this energy – all the trees, all the grass, and all the animals are part of Krishna's creation, then automatically our energy changes! If this is Krishna's property, then one who is the servant of Krishna cannot treat it like a rubbish bin! That is automatically taken care of. Automatically there is respect…..automatically we won't go just with the chainsaw in the forest to see how many trees we can cut down in an hour………….So, no we are respecting the creation. Srila Prabhupada quoted in the Bhagavad Gita:

'ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ', (B.G.10.8).

"I am the original of all the spiritual and all the material worlds. One who understands this properly worships me with love"

So Prabhupada said:

"This means that if you love Krishna, then you also love His creation!"

So in other words, by loving Krishna, then one loves Krishna's creation. Prabhupada also said:

"If you love the body, then you will also love the finger!"

So this is very nice, and therefore Krishna Consciousness is not just taking place on the material platform, and not something that is very abstract, but it is also something very practical. And yet it also takes us above this practical level. It makes us understand deeper parts of ourselves – that we are eternal spiritual beings, and that we actually do not belong in the material world, but that we belong in the eternal spiritual world.

In this way Krishna Consciousness gives us not only promises for the afterlife; being a good devotee and being on your knees throughout your life….and we have to pray a lot and in the end you get your reward – No, that is not Krishna Consciousness. Krishna Consciousness is to improve the quality of your life right now, and while you are doing it at the same time start progressing to a eternal destination. Therefore Krishna Consciousness is complete!

There are so many spiritual processes that promises you a reward in the end, but Krishna Consciousness promises us improvement every step of the way. And that is what Sri Caitanya Mahaprabu gave. Therefore this is a complete process of what He gave!

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