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Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna

Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna
Gopis performing Devotional Service to the Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna

Focus is important

Focus is important

14 May 2014 by  

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 April 2014, Radhadesh, Belgium, CC Katha Lecture)

 

radha krsna'We have our nature and our nature cannot just be ignored. So part of our focus should be to accommodate what our essential needs are. But then, we also have to bring in an element of going towards the ideal.

Nature granted! Provision for the nature, granted! So I’m not against anyone’s nature or speaking out against anyone’s needs, but what is our focus!? To become a pure devotee of Krsna. It has to be that! What is our plan!? To become a pure devotee. That is what we somehow or the other have to develop in this lifetime. So focus is important.

--
Yours
Dinesh

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Best of the best

Best of the best

13 May 2014 by  

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 April 2014, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.4.49-50)

final-final-6We see that Srila Prabhupada also had a positive outlook. He was seeing how nice it is that there are devotees who are chanting. How nice that we have the deities. How nice is it, this spiritual life. Prabhupada asked, "What is better? Who has a better way of life than the devotees?" He said, "The devotees, they have the best of everything." They live in the best places. It is true. Who lives in a castle?

You know, "Where do you live?"

"Oh, I live in a castle." (laughing) "You know, marble floors that are heated as well!"

Right, and who eats like we do? So many preparations, you don't get that everywhere. So Prabhupada said we have the best of everything. Best place to stay, best, you know, best food, best clothes. You know, with dressing up, look at those borders (pointing at a devotees dhoti), fancy designs everywhere. Best! Best clothes… best food! Prabhupada said best of everything.

And Prabhupada said if you want to get married, if a man wants to be married, oh, from the male perspective, then you get the best wife, best! Because we get the very best! (laughing) Because they have good qualities. Because yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā (Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.12), through devotional service, one develops good qualities. So Prabhupada said material fortune is rolling at our feet, rolling at our feet.


--
Yours
Dinesh

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Some good advice


Some good advice

23 May 2014 by 

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 08 April 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Rama Naumi Initiation Lecture)

kks_radhdesh_2013Initiation is not only about the ceremony but afterwards, success in spiritual life always depends on blessings. So, always look for blessings – blessings of the Supreme Lord and blessings of great devotees, either from the past or from the present. By always seeking blessings, we will make it and we will be successful!

My role is to give you good advice now and after the initiation to continue to guide you. Also, I am suppose to pray for you, for your benefit. On the strength of whatever service I have done, I pray that Krsna may accept your service! So my prayer is there, that Krsna will take you back to Godhead at the end of this life. All that is there but at the same time though, I cannot be there always.

In the Chandogya Upanishad, three types of spiritual masters are described. One is like the bird who feed their young constantly, endlessly. The other one is like the fish who supervises but lets its young go on its own but at the time of danger, the fish is there. The third type of spiritual master is like the tortoise who places the eggs in the sand on the beach and waits for the sun to create heat and then the eggs germinate – he meditates on them. So, this relationship is going to be a bit of all three.

Sometimes, I am really ready to come in and give lots of personal attention and at other times, it is going to be really as cold as a fish. Or even worse, the tortoise mediating at a distance for the well-being of the disciple. But do not forget that the spiritual master is our ever well-wisher and we should not think, ‘Oh, he has not answered my mail!’  We should not think, ‘I do not have a relationship with him.’

If we think that we do not have a relationship with our spiritual master then it means that the fault is placed with us – it means we are not coming forward in service; it means that something is lacking in our service attitude! Because when we think that the spiritual master is the one who has to do all these things, ‘He has to come and inspire me. He has to say deep things. He has to do psychoanalysis on me and fully understand me better than I understand myself, then he has to enlighten me in that. So, I have to be able to feel that. So, he says things that are deep and profound and go really deep like that.’ No, he may or he may not.

Srila Prabhupada said, ‘I am instructing my disciples intimately in public!’ I really like that – intimately in public, so much is said in public. We must keep that in mind that the onus is on us, as disciples, to dedicate ourselves. We should understand that the spiritual master is always dedicated even if he does not give much attention, still his well-wishes and his prayers for us are there and he is always thinking of us. He may have so many disciples and he may not have the time to speak to each one of them but still, for each of these disciples, his prayer to Krsna is there that the mercy may come and he is meditating like that. So, we should not under estimate what is really going on behind the scenes.

--
Yours
Dinesh

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Give your heart even when it hurts


Give your heart even when it hurts

18 May 2014 by  Leave a Comment

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 30 March 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday Lecture)

love-heart-clockGive your heart to everyone, even if they don’t give anything back. It hurts sometimes when people are hard-hearted and not responding properly but take that pain with patience and carry on. Somehow, keep on chiseling at stone. Get through that barrier. In the Netherlands, we say that some people have a block of concrete in front of their head. Just chisel right through! Give your heart. That is a vaishnav - we give our hearts.

The heart is involved in being merciful to the conditioned souls. The heart is involved, it is not just, “Yeah, I’m having a great time here with my pakoras and so on …” No! How can I have my pakoras when people are suffering in the world? How can I sleep when there is still even one person who is caught in the cycle of birth and death? How can I sleep?

This is how Krsna feels. Krsna is emotionally involved. He is thinking, “How can I enjoy unlimited pleasure in an ocean of transcendental bliss if there is still one person missing?” 

Of course, he is enjoying in an ocean of transcendental bliss at every moment but he wants that one person also to be a part of it – that is Krsna. So, if even Krsna is emotionally involved, how can the devotee not be? We are emotionally involved with everyone, not only our own little circle. Open the heart to everyone!


Yours
Dinesh

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I depend on You

I depend on You

27 Dec 2010 by 

In my life many times I have been in extreme circumstances – many times. We were driving in the car between Mayapur and Calcutta. I told the driver: 
“Aasthe, Aasthe” which means slow. 
“ Dheerae, Dheerae” 
I told him because he had the tendency to speed up in the villages. I don’t know but some drivers do that, whenever there are people they try to drive faster(laughter). I don’t know what it is but they do that. So he was one of those and so I told him to slow down in the villages.

But suddenly, a cyclist who was also not slowing down, and got in the middle of the road and right in front of our car and, ‘Bang!’ we hit him and then our car flew off the road – and it rolled! In the next moment I was flying! I didn’t know that I could fly, but I could! (laughter). I was flying and then I had a landing on the grass – which I guess was good – on the part that we usually sit on! I was not sitting for a long time! 
You can understand that, that was definitely a situation and what do we do at such moments?

I was lying at the side of the road, and the people who were Bengalis were angry…


Someone in their village had been injured, but still alive, and they thought that I was responsible. So there was a whole angry crowd that were around me. I learned Bengali on the spot on that day! (laughter). I didn’t speak Bengali but I learnt it right there and then and managed to say to them;

“Did you get the driver?”

They said; “Driver?…driver?”

“Did you get him? He must be getting away”

So all the men said, “Yes let’s go, and get the driver!”

So that was good. So we get in very difficult situations, and of course we have to do something practical at the time of death! But we also have to remember Krsna! Ultimately we take shelter of Krsna! I was there and I realised;

“Krsna I’m in big trouble…Krsna I mean I cannot runaway now…Krsna I depend on You and whatever you want, but it’s up to You”.

Then I became peaceful, and could accept: “Alright whatever Krsna desires”
That is transcendence. Transcendence is not that we pray on our knees;

“Oh Lord, oh Lord! Please save me! Please save me Lord !” – No that is not transcendence.

Transcendence is; “My Lord I’m placing myself in your hands. You know what is best, and I’m leaving it up to you.” 
I mean the situation got out of control – not just a little bit, but totally. 
“Now there is nothing I can do anymore. Now all I can do is leave it up to You.” This is the transcendental state of consciousness, where one stops trying to be the controller!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 12th December 2010)


--
Yours
Dinesh

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