Krsna- The Supreme Artist...

We become a servant in the hands of Krsna. Krsna is like the Supreme artist, who is carving a servant out of us. He takes the stone- that’s us- and is slowly changing the stone…

(HH KKS, Durban RY 2009, SA)

Rise early, Hear and chant

(Letter by HH KKS to one of His disciples)...The key is to build up a spiritual life. The basis must be regular practice in hearing and chanting, preferably on a regulated schedule which is as much as possible, the same every day starting early in the morning. One psychologist said if you do something for one month every day then you have a habit. Can you imagine if we do something every day for a lifetime,then it becomes a second nature. This is what it means to become situated in the mode of goodness to build up good habits.Besides the fact that the mind gets trained; the soul, which is otherwise in a dormant state in this material world also awakens by transcendental rasa(taste). It is this 'higher taste' that makes us strong in the fight againstmaya, it is then that we become situated on the spiritual platform. So try and make a schedule for yourself which includes ample time for hearing and chanting. Lord Krsna Caitanya will help you, please pray to His lotus feet evry day....

Krsna- A loving Father..

(Japa Talks, Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 June 2009)

Sometimes I am thinking how we,the jivas have turned away from Krsna. Krsna is like a loving father always thinking of his lost children who have left home. Then Krsna thought to Himself, I musty give them some mercy. But why should I give them only some mercy? What I will do, I will give them all the mercy! I will put the spiritual world in the material world and He manifested Sri Vrndavana Dhama. Such kind of thoughts about how wonderful and merciful Krsna is, make me enthusiastic to chant His name...

Chanting becomes fun...

(Japa Talks, Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 June 2009)

The importance of attentive chanting is stressed again and again. There are many things one can do to improve ones performance. Chanting early in the morning after enough rest, in a peaceful place, in devotee association. We try to focus the mind especially on hearing the name. I aim at chanting 16 rounds in about 2 hours, sometimes it takes a little longer, and sometimes a little faster. Something was mentioned about skipping beads. Skipping beads can happen in various ways, sometimes I catch myself that I am not changing the beads exactly at the end of the mantra and the beginning of a new mantra.That is not good, because then one could easily go through more beads than mantras. Anyway so much about attentive chanting, I try to focus, and the mind sometimes drifts, when I become aware of it, I try to bring it back. Still although attentive chanting is important, that is not my only meditation while chanting. If that was all there was, then chanting would be a struggle and a stressful activity. Rupa Gosvami in his famous verse: tunde tandvini ratim vitanute tundavali, describes how the holy dances in the mouth and he desires millions of mouths and millions of ears. It is clear that Rupa Gosvami's meditation is on the wonderful nature of Krnsa. So we may not have the same deep level of absorbtion as Rupa Gosvami, but we can make a beginning already now and besides trying to be attentive also appreciate Krsna's wonderful nature, and how He so mercifully is present in His name. Then chanting is not just a struggle, but becomes fun...

16 rounds...

(New from Japa Talks, Kadamba Kanana Swami, 28 June 2009)

Dear Vaisnavas,

It is nice to offer you my obeisances and to my disciples also blessings. Let us always glorify Srila Prabhupada, because we become purified by that and stronger in our commitment to fulfill his desires.I have just returned. I have been out preaching and was off-line for 4 days....it was 'too much good'. I was in the Czech Summer Camp. Big long kirtans, lectures and lots of talks to lots of people.There has been no time and energy left for extra rounds. It has been a minimum of sixteen. Last night I finished my sixteen rounds at 10:45pm, these days that is an exception to my rule, I generally always chant 16 rounds in the morning and then extra rounds in the day. This morning I got up at 3:30 and after managl arati I went for a japa walk in to the Czech forest, there was a long straight path, it was easy to just walk and chant out loud. The rounds were clear and steady. I wanted to compensate for yesterday, where I chanted three rounds late at night just wanting to finish them and one extra to make up for possible bad quality. I became overwhelmed by so many activities, Ironically as part of all that I also gave initiations yesterday and as the devotees were making their vows, I was thinking that it will not always be easy to chant a minimum of 16 rounds. Everyone gets overwhelmed sometimes, but the vows are kept, we may have to sacrifice our sleep. And then later catch up. If getting overwhelmed by too much activity becomes a way of life, then it looks like over-endeavor and we have to really start thinking of making some changes to our life. For me now it is time to recharge, tonight early to bed, and after a long rest, still early to rise, so I can get back in to putting some quality in my rounds...that's life. Everyday, make an endeavor to really chant the holy name.These vows are so nice. They will never leave us, even if we would try to leave them. If we give ourselves to follow them with dedication then they will uplift us, and if we take the vow of chanting 16 rounds casual then we become dry;and if we neglect our chanting all together and give up our promise to chant 16 rounds, then these vow will beat our heart.So I was thinking that there is a great blessing in taking initiation and promising to chant a minimum of 16 rounds without fail.

Your servant,

Kadamba Kanana Swami

Fill up our pond...

Sometimes the analogy is used that just as there is a pond, our consciousness is a pond. And in that pond we throw different stones and all these stones are impressions. Now if we fill up the pond with Krsna stones more and more, then gradually as it fills up there’s not much space for any other stones, for any other impressions. In fact when the stones are filling up all the way to the surface of the water, then even if you throw in another stone it will just bounce out! It won’t go in anymore, it will just go straight out. So it’s said, in this way we must fill our consciousness completely to the top with Krsna and then, it is said, but then there are still small, small spaces between the stones- those you must fill up with little stones, with smaller things, with refined things, with more refined ways of meditating on Krsna, remembering Krsna and appreciating Krsna. And then still finer, in between the big stones and small stones, there’s still a little space filled up with sand, or in this way till there is no space left.
So not only must our Krsna conscious increase it means, but the smaller stones are also meaning that we must now start paying more attention to the detail and do it right!

(HH KKS, Durban RY '09, SA)

Point Is Add Krishna Consciousness To It!

(HH KKS 12/06/1999) So how can we serve Him here? By just using whatever we have for Krishna. I can use everything: computer, anything can be used for Krishna. So there is no need to move, no need to go live in the forest, or to go to the Himalayas to give up the world, stay in Stockholm in your little flat or whatever it is, keep your Volvo...it’s ok!
One can have all these things, home sweet home, sit behind your double glass and look at the winter, and so forth and enjoy, there is no problem: Just add Krishna to your life.
A few things have to go, you can still go to the supermarket, what a relief, you don’t have to stop going to the supermarket, there are only certain things you cannot put in your shopping cart, no fish! All these cans with fish, no they don’t go in! The meat section, don’t even go in there forget it! You wouldn’t want to...ugh...horrible! The beer, no...no beer in the cart, the fruit juices, yes...oh nice fruit juices, the fruits, put them in, the vegetables put them in, the nuts, the vegetarian cheeses and by the time you get to the cash register you have a shopping cart full just like everybody else, and it feels ok, you feel infact a little better, you will feel a lot better when you get the final bill because you will see you are a lot cheaper than the other people who have loaded up there carts with fish, meat and all other expensive items!
So there are a lot of arguments in favor of Bhaktiyoga: one can continue his regular life.
Just a few things have to go out, so no need to shave your head, no need to put on a pink dress...of course if you like pink you can put on pink,we are not against that!...But the point is we can live our own natural life and add Krishna Consciousness to it, so step by step we introduce Krishna in our life and in that way everything will come: So that’s what step by step means to us.

Bhakti-Yoga Will Allow Us To See Him Directly

(HH KKS 12/06/1999) In this world there are two types of people, those that are atheists and those who believe there is a God. So the atheists they are not very happy they are suffering. If we are just made of a bunch of chemicals then one day these chemicals are going to disintegrate...that’s not so nice is it?! So the atheistic view is not so nice So therefore when one has suffered in the atheistic conception of life then one may consider that there may be something after all and one has some idea about something but is doesn’t go much further,a little faith. so eventually ones vague concept may by sincere desire develop a little further until one meets the devotees. When one meets the devotees then one gets a better understanding what it's all about and one begins to understand the process of devotional service. Then devotional service is very practical. Many people who believe in God say that he’s in heaven or he is somewhere in that other world, it doesn’t matter in what culture, they always describe Him as being invisible and in some other world...and it seems that Yoga, Meditation or Religion in general is meant to cover that distance into that other world...and only if you success in that can you get an experience of Krishna. But Bhaktiyoga is different. Bhaktiyoga can be done right here. It is a Yoga which is very practical. In Bhaktiyoga one doesn’t need to try to see Krishna somewhere far away because He is here right now! We may see Him or we may not see Him...but we can serve Him here right now with whatever is here...and when we start doing that we will see Him more and more and more, first indirectly present in everything and then gradually we’ll start perceiving Him directly.

Rupa And Sanatana Directly Instruct Prabhupada!

(HH KKS Radha Damodar Temple) Srila Prabhupada was residing here (RadhaDamodar Temple) before he came to the west. So Srila Prabhupada lived here for quite some time and here he was doing translation work and next door was his kitchen. From the kitchen you have a view directly of the samadhis and the bhajan kutir of Srila Rupa Goswami. So Prabhupada started working here on Srimad Bhagavatam and from here he used to go to Delhi to get them printed so from here he actually worked, before he went to the west. There is a story which we not so long ago one of Srila Prabhupada’s female disciples who was a book distributor and who published a book and shortly after that she left the world she published a book about Prabhupada before he came to the west. She basically interviewed many people from those days. She really traced it out as much as possible, anybody who was alive who still knew something about Srila Prabhupada from before.
So there was a story about Prabhupad here in Radha Damodar and the story was that one day this local devotee came and met Prabhupada. He used to regularly come, he met him and Prabhupada told him that two personalities had appeared to him, effulgent personalities , that they were Rupa and Sanatana! That they had instructed him on how to write the purports of Srimad Bhagavatam!
Well I found this story in that book then last year that book came out and I was in Mayapur , and Hari Sauri was also there , and when....Hari Sauri read the book he was kind of very impressed and he said that actually he heard about this story while he was here in Vrndavana serving Prabhupada, so one day he went up to Srila Prabhupada and he asked him, he said: I heard that when you stayed at Radha Damodar temple that at that time Rupa and Sanatan had appeared to you.
So later that afternoon I , later that day I went to Jayadvaita maharaj, he didn’t go to the morning class that day so I went to his room and said: Well today it was really interesting I had this discussion about this story about how Prabhupad saw Rupa and Sanatan. He said: Oh you want to see the screen saver on my computer. So I looked and it was a picture of that same story, so everybody was aware apparently of it but not me! So there seems to be some truth in this story that Prabhupad was instructed here by Rupa and Sanatana.

I'm from Vrndavana...

My life took many unexpected turns. I made plans but I couldnt fulfill many of them and I had to face many surprises- sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant. I lived in many countries; it is said that I'm from Holland but to tell you the truth I'm not at all from Holland. Even in this life my birth was from Vrndavana, because my spiritual life began in Vrndavana and thus Holland feels like a last life. I can remember it but only vaguely. I'm from Vrndavana actually; as Jayapataka Maharaja is from Mayapur, I'm from Vrndavana! But there also, i faced up's and down's; there also i faced pleasant surprises and a few unpleasant ones because that is the material world...but Krsna tells us we should learn to tolerate the happiness and distress in this world because these are temporary. How to tolerate? Impossible! Only tolerate if one is attached to Krsna...

(HH KKS, Newcastle, Durban, SA, '08)

Krishna Will Satisfy Us Beyond Our Expectations

(HH KKS 18/01/02) This transcendental knowledge is coming down in disciplic succession (sanskrit)so this knowledge is perfect knowledge because it comes directly from Krishna. It is clear that Lord Krishna knows ourselves than we do ourselves and that when it comes to satisfying ourselves that Lord Krishna knows better how to satisfy us than we ever may know! Even when we become free from the influence of illusory energy still then our happiness is totally dependent on the Supreme Lord.
Dhruva Maharaja undergone the greatest austerity, Dhruva Maharaja began to fast and then Dhruva Maharaja began to control his breathing and he started to check his breathing and he took days in between one breath and after that at one point Dhruva Maharaja began to stop breathing altogether. And it is said that at that point the whole universe suffocated, could not breathe due to his mystic power. So this was an acute crisis and therefore the Supreme Lord appeared on the spot to deal with the situation Himself because the whole choking of the universe is a serious matter which no one can deal with. So Krishna cares, Krishna is concerned. Then Krishna satisfied Dhruva Maharaja by elevating him to the spiritual plane and simultaneously satisfying all his desires. His desire was to have a kingdom greater than his father and grandfather...which basically his grandfather was Lord Brahma. So how can one have a kingdom greater than Lord Brahma who is the Lord of the universe?!
Simply, The Lord gave Dhruva Maharaja a spiritual planet to look after and in this way Dhruva Maharaja was in a greater position even then his grandfather. So this was beyond his expectation and this is actually the fruit of transcendental knowledge. So the fruit of transcendental knwowledge which is coming down in disciplic succesion will satisfy us beyond our expectations: This is the nature of Krishna!..........There should be no doubt that from Krishna consciousness comes all perfection.

The More Devotion, the Less the Obstruction

(HH KKS 21/06/04) So the more we try in this world to express our devotion to the Supreme Lord the less obstructon we will find in due course of time. Although initially there may plenty of obstructions and sometimes even a great devotee is greatly obstructed in so many ways, we are always obstructed by something in this world, but eventually a devotee attains the spiritual world, where there is no obstruction to his expression of his devotion..unlimited, unlimited capacity and this is actually the point: it is this freedom that we are loking for, it is that freedom that is ther. The drive of freedom which is there in everyone. No one likes to be limited, no one likes to be restricted........
The Supreme Lord is the reservoir of all pleasure, He is never limited and his devotees are being promoted to a platform also to be unlimited. So what happens is when a living entity is kind of withdrawing from the relationship with the Supreme Lord, he becomes limited.

For the pleasure of Krsna...

Once I read in the Caitanya Caritamrta about Srila Haridas Thakura

and it said that he was chanting daily 300 000 names for the pleasure of Krsna, and it was just for me like boinggggg! So it just hit me when I read that phrase; it happens sometimes: you’re reading a book and then one sentence suddenly just strikes, and suddenly I thought, “For the pleasure of Krsna? Have I ever chanted for the pleasure of Krsna? Have I actually ever chanted one round for the pleasure of Krsna?” I thought, hmmm…So I thought, well, probably not; probably I’ve chanted because I don’t want to come back in the material world, I’ve chanted because I want to get rid of karma- I have some respect for karma! Not really wanting too much more of that! I have chanted because I was curious to see what would happen if I would chant, if I would get a spiritual experience! Like this I have chanted for many different reasons, we think about it, all self-centred, always thinking bout my benefit. But thinking that Haridas was chanting 300 000 names just in the mood of pleasing Krsna, that struck me on that particular day and ever since I am meditating on that from time to time...

(HH KKS, South Coast Retreat '08, Durban, SA)

New Nectar Pics!

Find all nectar pics of Maharaja and his recent travels in Germany here

Meditate while chanting...

We must become deeper in our meditation. Chanting is accompanied by meditation- meditation on what we are doing, meditation on who Krsna is... These days I make that a point that I meditate while I'm chanting, in the sense that I read something that strikes me- an aspect about Krsna- and it's sort of in my mind and while I'm chanting, I'm remembering also. Chanting must be accompanied by remembering. The more we remember Krsna, the more it becomes nice. Thus hearing is another essential element to enliven our chanting. We must hear, then we get it automatically...

(HH KKS, South Coast retreat '08, SA)

Real Empowerment doesn't mean be Superman!

(HH KKS, 21/06/2004)
Real empowerment means to see Krishna , real empowerment doesn’t mean to be superman without kryptonite, you know, now i am empowered, “ I am superman and there is no more kryptonite, Great” ... No.. that is not real empowerment. Real empowerment doesn’t mean that we can climb mount everest or real empowerment doesn’t mean we can fly in the sky at will with a cape flapping in the back! That’s not empowerment...you’re wandering why sanyassis have these things right! But real empowerment actually means to see Krishna, to perceive Krishna to experience how Krishna is acting in his life....that is real empowerment.

Caitanya Caritamrita is not Ordinary... It's a Miracle!

(HH KKS, 21/06/2004)
So here we are beginning to discuss from the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita. The Sri Caitanya Caritamrita is not ordinary literature. The writer also is not an ordinary person . Srila Krishna das Kaviraja Goswami appeared in west Bengal and it is said that he lived there throughout his life and he was a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna...but at the end of his life he specifically got special mercy because he got the darshan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of Lord Nityananda who ordered him to go to Bengal! At that time Krishnadas Kaviraja Gowsami was in his nineties and there was no facility for travelling, there was no train, no plane

nothing, basically it meant he had to walk. He walked the entire way from Bengal to Vrndavan which is around 1200 kilometers in his nineties! And not only that, then he started writing this Caitanya Caritamrita which is like so sharp, so clear so crystal clear although he is explaining, “I don’t know how I am writing because my memory is failing."
Of course his memory was failing, what do you expect in the nineties , memory not working and eyesight, there were no glasses in those days!...so how to write without glasses...this is quite amazing! He said, "My hand is shaking due to old age and somehow or other I am writing, but i don’t know how"....so the very fact that he wrote the Caitanya Caritamrita in itself is more or less a miracle.

Prabhupada's singing- out of this world!

Comment: I just wanted to say that your chanting, your singing is very beautiful. You use this system where you hear yourself...I've heard a lot people where they dont hear what they chant but you have beautiful chanting...

Maharaja: Hmmm...well I use to sing mundane songs, you know, so I took advantage of that in Krsna consciousness. But whatever is there...if you listen to Prabhupada singing, who also was known for being a good singer, then it's free from any passion or anything like that- it's just really pure goodness. But Prabhupada's singing is pure goodness and it's really something to listen to! That's like out of this world!

(HH KKS, Cape Town, SA, '06)

Not Just A Small Boy!

HH KKS: Next moment Krishna is tightening up His dhoti, climbs in a kadamba tree, jumps into the river Yamuna and as Krishna enters into the Yamuna the water level is rising half a metre! How is that possible when one person jumps in the water! ..Ha Ha.. again we are seeing this is not, whoever entered here, may look like just a small boy....but He is not as small as He looks! That was clear!

21/06/2007

Cannot miss one drop- no way!

Just by looking at the pictures of Prabhupada, we can see that extraordinary love emanating. One can get it from the books, one can get it from the lectures, one can get it from the videos, one can get it from the Prabupada Memories, one can get it from the Prabhupada Nectar, one can get it from anywhere where one can get it because we should get whatever we can- everything that’s available of Srila Prabhupada- you should have it! Not only am I carrying all Prabhupada’s lectures, I’m carrying 20000 pictures of Srila Prabhupada as well and I’m carrying all his videos and I got all his biographies in my computer and the one’s that aren’t available on digital, I took photographs and I put them in my hard drive along with some other books. Of course we must have it, we must. We cannot miss out one drop, no way...

(HH KKS, Germany, 2006)

Modern Life of Indulgence - Artificial Paradise

HH KKS: It is stated in Bhagavatam, in the age of kali the duration of life is going down, it may just happen by some external force but certainly we are helping it a lot by spraying all kind of toxins on our food package. There was a green peace poster which said that within our daily food package there was a similar amount of chemicals as twenty aspirins! That was before genetic engineering started, before thay put scoropin genes in the tomatoes and before they put pig genes in the potato...you like French fries with tomato chutney! So the so called comforts of modern life where we live like kings is totally artificial.
I had also in India seen Makrana, is a hellish planet, which i think is somewhere between patalaloka and rasallaloka..somewhere where one is sent if commiting too many offences in the Dhama. ...at least that is what happened to me I was sent to Makrana, which is in the desert of Rajasthan- very hellish place, to get marble from Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi. And in that place we saw that somehow or other we used to stay in the kings palace, it was an old palace, he was a friend of Iskcon’s and we used to stay in the king’s palace..but these days there were many palaces that were much bigger. In the old day there was the king's palace and some cottages and they had been taking marble from that place for hundreds of years and they would take for some of the temples and for some places and that was it...but now everybody in India has marble for their bathroom! And now if you look at that town , the king’s palace has become small , there are many palaces lot bigger than that of the king and the whole town is just like a warzone with endless deep craters, grounds that have been blasted with dynamites, all this blasting going on. If one wants to see how the earth is being destroyed then i can really recomnend an excursion to Macrana!
Just see what our modern world of indulging and trying to build ourselves a little paradise here on planet earth -what it’s doing on other corners!

Simalachan 24/05/2005

Connection between meditation and reciprocation..

So the reciprocation comes; one becomes the instrument of the Lord. Because meditation is not just focusing on the Supreme Lord, it is also the Supreme Lord reciprocating with us and it is also how He chooses to act. But He particularly chooses those who have made a commitment. Therefore meditation on the Supreme Lord is always accompanied by a commitment. If we make a commitment in service to the Supreme Lord, that we are committing, ‘yes I am Your servant,’ and that commitment can increase. ‘As Your servant I will sacrifice my attachments. Although I have them I will give them up. I’ll make that commitment. I’ll make a commitment to be a good saddhaka, to really get serious about sadhana. I’ll make a commitment to take responsibility for Srila Prabhupada’s mission. His desire for spreading Krsna consciousness is so strong…’ In this way, commitment exists also, on many levels. But as we are committing in devotional service and taking up a service, then immediately the meditation gets depth and immediately the reciprocation is beginning to happen...

(HH KKS, 9 May 2009, Germany)

Enjoy the Material world, That's alright...But...

HH KKS: If you want to enjoy this world, that's alright, but then you can not at the same time have the experience of the Supreme Lord and then you can not taste the nectar of devotion. There will be no nectar of devotion when we are preoccupied with enjoying the material energy...Not possible!

25/01/2009

Please Krishna

HH KKS: One must accept Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the most inner most core of one's heart.......unalloyed devotional service full surrender, it means that there is no other desire in our heart contradicting anything, it is simply that whatever is the pleasure of Krishna that we will fulfill.

30/06/2002

Help build the BBT digital repository

(Latest from Jayadvaita Swami's website)

Submitted by jswami on June 17, 2009 - 3:19pm The BBT has a lot of valuable stuff—books, manuscripts, letters, photos, paintings, audio, videos, and more, some of it in the Bhaktivedanta Archives, some of it elsewhere. A lot of it is in digital form, some of it not.
Following the model for an Open Archival Information System, the BBT has begun a “Digital Repository” project.

Among its purposes:

• To put all the BBT’s stuff (as far as possible) into an up-to-date digital form, with suitable “metatags” to help in finding things.
• To archive all the stuff in one digital repository—one digital “box” (of course with backups).
• To keep all of Srila Prabhupada’s books in digital files we can supply to printers for publishing or use for ebooks and other formats.
• To provide a free, open-source, up-to-date replacement for the Folio VedaBase, both online and for personal computers (Windows, Mac, Linux, and so on).

Pancharatna Dasa is coordinating the project, greatly assisted by Sarva Thulasingam, a devotee in the Seattle area who works as an engineer for Microsoft.

They have decided to host the repository using DSpace, the open-source software platform most widely used by libraries and research institutions for purposes like ours.

Here’s a diagram showing what a DSpace repository is about.

Customizing our DSpace repository for our needs and getting all the stuff into it is a big job.
Here are some of the tasks for which we could use help right now:

• uploading various kinds of content as experiments
• designing XML schema (incorporating Dublin core metadata and complying with open eBook standards)
• writing a simple program to parse existing files, which encode diacritics and Devanagari with old standards, and convert them to Unicode
• figuring out a good taxonomy for content to be placed into the repository
• modifying CSS stylesheets for a custom look and feel

If you’re tech-savvy and would like to volunteer your help, please email

The Transcendental Dimension...

Excerpt from Japa Talks

Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 June 2009

In spiritual life there is always the transcendental dimension. The dimension of auspiciousness, purification,eternal benefit and getting more and more mercy of Krsna. Sometimes we like the material side in spiritual life; the temple,a festival, the cheese in the subji or devotees who are our friends and other times I may find it a big austerity. Sometimes we may like to chant and other times it's a struggle , but whatever may be that spiritual dimension is always there and that makes it all worthwhile...

Prasadam and PRASADAM!

Then in the Madhya-lila Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as a sanyassi, is roaming around and He’s trying to go to Vrndavana but it’s a little difficult because He’s so ecstatic that He can’t find the way and is sort of a few kilometer’s off and He’s by foot, so He really missed a turn you could say! And in that way He winds up way lost in Bengal and it is Nityananda who manipulates some boys to send Him back, back to Bengal instead of to Vrndavana. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu winds up in the house of Advaita Acarya, where they have staged a whole reunion with all the devotees.

At that time of course, mother Saci is cooking for Nimai for the last time. And she is cooking in such a way like no one has tasted before! Because she puts all her separation in what she cooks and therefore anybody who takes that prasada, virtually starts to cry tears and becomes ecstatic because this is how it is- it is the bhakti that’s in there. So it’s not that Krsna is some sort of prasadam-machine! It’s like you put the plate in front of the picture and you sort of ring the bell, instead of pushing the button, and then ding! Prasadam! It’s not exactly like that! But rather there is prasadam and prasadam, if you know what I mean! I mean there is really ecstatic prasadam, so this prasadam of mother Saci produced…everyone went mad for it- mad!

(HH KKS, Durban, SA, '07)

Krishna's Flute Makes Indra Cry

HH KKS: In the Holy Name is also Krishna's form and there is Krishna, His flute is not far away, sometimes the flute is not immediateley with Krishna because sometimes the Gopis have stolen it, but otherwise Krishna is always carrying His flute. So in that way once the Holy Name is there Krishna's flute is not far so in that way we can also through the Holy Name can get more inspiration in Krishna Consciounsess.
In the ( one of the scripture..Madhava) there is the following statement: When Krishna was playing on the flute, Baladeva very anxiously decared, "Just see after hearing the transcendental sound of Krishna's flute Indra, the king of heavan is crying in his heavanly kingdom and from his teardrops falling on the ground Vrndavana appears to have become a celestial residence for the demigods" Yes so when Indra's teardrops are falling on the ground after what we have read in the (scripture) he cries from all the eyes that are
on his body...torrents of rain.

Nectar of Devotion class 05/2002

Feel The Connection For Krishna NOW!

HH KKS: Great devotees of the Lord, they become very attached to Krishna. You see, for them Krishna is not some abstract idea, is there a God? is it not?...No for them it is a a reality and they are experiencing Krishna at every moment. For them it is not a question: Does Krishna exist? Does He not exist? For them it is not a point: oh Krishna is described in the Mahabharata ....Oh Krishna He spoke to Arjuna 5000 yrs ago...no....For them it is: Krishna spoke to me five mninutes ago! Krishna is communicating to me right now, Krishna is there all the time, that it is for them.

For others who are devout pious followers of some Dharma, they may be: (Maharaja speaks jokingly in Indian accent!) "Krishna was here 5000 years ago and we are still following the tradition, it has been followed by so many generations, we are maintaining the tradition of our ancestors and faithfully exactly as it was done 5000yrs ago.. we are doing today, so we are pleased that we are also inviting you to partake ..ahhh, ahh ..acha" So we are seeing here devout following of a 50000yrs tradition but if we experience it we feel old and stuffy and when these ancient Grnths (books) are open it is as if lots of dust is coming from the pages.. (cough!), it feels like spirituality is stuffy amd dry and austere and it is all about ritual. (Maharaja again speaks jokingly in Indian accent!) : "We must perform the ritual as it is exactly described in the literature and that is the way ..it is our duty..yes."

But this is not Bhakti, there is no love and ther is no life, therefore one must feel the connection also for Krishna now .......or other wise how is it posible? So how can one feel the connection to Krishna right now?...

cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha--davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritaswadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate sri-krishna-sankirtanam

So this cleansing of the heart has to be done throught chanting Hare Krishna, that is our immediate connection to Krishna and gives us life, it is the life of all transcendental knowledge, without the chanting there is no more life. This is the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who teaches us that this chanting of Hare Krishna gives new life. So we should chant, day and night, 24 hrs, that's the solution.

Nectar of Devotion class 05/2002

One little mistake and bitten...!

Spiritual life sometimes feels like that- like we're dancing on the hoods of Kaliya! It's tricky! Krsna knows how to do that but we don't know how to do that, where many hoods and heads are coming around and you have to dance! And one little mistake and you would be bitten by that snake...!

(HH KKS, 29 June 2008, Durban)

Life- a football game!

Srila Prabhupada said that life is like a football game. And we think that we are the players but actually we are the ball...!

(HH KKS, Durban, SA)

Real Reading means Applying the Knowledge In Our Own Life

HH KKS: Srila Bhakti Siddhanta is explaining how to read and he is saying that reading is not merely that we are becoming a repository of facts, that we just store so much information and we try and keep it in our memory and just store it there and imprison it like a magistrate locking up a criminal....no, that's not knowledge. True knowledge must be creative and that we actually take this learning and that we become creative and we understand how in our own life it applies....that is reading! We are discussing Bhagavad Gita, we are thinking about Bhagavad Gita and ....What it means to us.

12/03/2009

Vedic Culture. Man is Polite, Woman is Shy

Devotee's question: As you were saying Brahmacharya’s are trained to ignore the women does that also exclude being polite.

HH JAS: No...if you are separate then you don’t meet, If you have to pass through a narrow hallway do you have to be polite? It certainly includes being polite, but politeness in Western culture and politeness in Vedic culture are different.
In Western culture a young man and a young woman pass each other in the hall and he says good morning and she says good morning and who knows what’s going on, his mind is going her mind is going and that’s polite, if you don’t say good morning do a little smile and go through a little more body language then you’re a creep! In Vedic culture it's different a man and a women are passing and they make way for one other and that’s politeness. Generally the women are trained to be very shy, so a man is coming by the

woman stands by the side and becomes a little inconspicuous and the man passes by...and that way she maintains her chastity: There’s no interaction, there’s no somebody’s going after somebody or making time with somebody and therefore she becomes very respectable. It doesn’t mean she’s ...shrinking into the shadows and insignificant. It means she’s so high class that you can't mix with her. Just like a really high class woman you can’t really get close to her because she’s high class. Low class woman anyone can mix with, but a high class woman is a little unapproachable, even in Western society if a woman is really high class you can’t just walk up to her and say excuse me lady "da...da...da...da" She’s aristocratic she’s a little distant from ordinary men, of course then she goes out at the night she’s drinking and partying and whatever else! But at least on the street it's like that. In the Vedic culture it’s so respectable...Prabhupada said: :My mother would not go next door to accept an invitation except if she was in a palanquin covered with four men, nobody could see, even the sun couldn’t see her"...That’s high class, still to this day you go to Vrindavan and some men are passing by and the ladies are covering their faces because they’re shy so there are different signs of culture.
Now in the Western society a woman is considered cultured if she knows finance and she’s aggressive as a hawk...but in Vedic culture a woman is high class if she’s very shy. It’s a sign of good breeding, a sign of culture a sign of respectability and such a woman no respectable man will approach. Prabhupada gave the example that he and some men were standing by a doorway and some sweeper lady was there, a sweeper woman means a low class woman, sweeping where everybody is walking, but she had to get through that doorway so she was standing there, apart, and three or four friends, aristocratic, Prabhupada came from an aristocratic family, a high class family, so three or four gentlemen are standing there, and this woman was standing to the side and they could understand that she has to go through therefore they all had to move...by her behavior they had to move. That’s Vedic culture...shyness.

. EXCERPTS FROM: HOPES AND HORRORS OF HOUSEHOLDER LIFE
– SWAMI JAYADVAITA 1992 - PART 4)

Preaching gives life to our japa...

Excerpts from Japa Talks

Kadamba Kanana Swami: (17 june 2009, 8:44am)

"This chanting should go on. Instead of meetings, resolutions, dissolutions, revolutions and then no solutions, there should be chanting."- His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, from Lilamrita Vol.6p.182

I wonder how much time of my life has been spend in meetings. But then again together we can make a difference, what can I do alone?And then there are personal matters, that can not always be ignored. Yesterday I was thinking 'early to bed' and then tomorrow ,'early to rise.' But last night someone came and needed to talk. It was important to him and he is important to me. So what to do, I had to sacrifice my early morning and with it so many extra rounds that I had been planning to chant. That is what it means to have relationships,it is a matter of give and take.The Bhajanandi makes all the time in the world for his chanting, what else is there to do. But a ghostyanandi would like to do the same, but can not always, because he gives himself to others in preaching Krsna consciousness.

Prithu likes to talk about yare dekhe tare kaha krsna upadesa, whomever you meet tell them about Krsna. He said the other day in Berlin, "We would only think about making devotees. We were always looking if someone could maybe become a devotee and ..we were making devotees" And he did make so many nice devotees.

How many of us really have the time to regularly chant 64 rounds? I like the program of rising at 1:30am, and then take bath and only chant, then I can 64 rounds before 10am, but then no mangala arati, guru puja and class.Sometimes I want to hang a sign on the door " Do Not Disturb,important meeting in progress" and inside the room I will be trying to meet Krsna by chanting His holy names.Sometimes I want to be alone.And other times I want to go on hari nama or be there Ratha Yatra. Preaching gives life to our japa...

Frienship? or is it a Business Deal?

HH KKS: We do need social interaction with devotees, that can satisfy. If we are associating with devotees that is inspiring. It is said that devotees are true friends, one of the twenty-six qualities of the devotee is..(sanskrit).. which means friendship. A devotee is a friend, a true friend.
It says that a friendship of a devotee is different than the friendship of a mundane friendship because the frienship of a devotee is perfect because it's well wishing all the way, it's not exploitive.
See other types of frienship are a business deal. "I'm your friend because you have a nice boat"
"I'm your friend because your friend has a nice sister."
"I'm your friend because you have so many good qualities, you're so powerful...that I can hide behind you and in this way I gain something."
So generally speaking mundane fruiendship is always mixed with personal advantage...so it's actually a pact, it's a pact it's a business deal! Some pact like two countries are friends, just like we have the NATO ......"For the sake of protection we are in the NATO". So countries make these.... alliances, kind of pact. Alliances which are born of necessity, not born out of love so this is mundane relationship: Born out of necessity, but not born out of selfless giving.
Our main problem is that we are still contaminated with this material selfishness, that we think about ourselves: "What am I getting?" instead of "What am I giving?" This is the point. In Krishna Consciosness the essence is to give.

Nectar of Devotion class 05/2002

Hearing Directly About Krishna Is Very Soothing

HH KKS: We hear such kind of descriptions, after that Krishna went to Akura, the house of Akura and in this way we hear these desciptions in the Krishna book, which are very transcendental about the diect activities of Krishna and this is very nice. This kind of meditation is beyond the trouble and strife. It is very nice if we spend time with this.
In our miovement often times, when we meet other devotees, we speak about ISKCON, the topic of discussion is ISKCON, you meet someone you haven't seen for a long time: "What's going on in ISKCON": The big world of ISKCON, what should be going on in ISKCON, what should not be going on in ISKCON, what could be going on in ISKCON, what we would like to be going on in ISKCON and things like that. And so many times amongst Vaishnavas we discuss this topic and certainly it's not that it is not transcendental, it is transcendental but it is not always soothing to the heart, if we speak directly it is sometimes agitating to the heart! and to the head also, sometimes it gives us a headache!
But if we hear directly about Krishna, actually that is very soothing.

Nectar of Devotion class 05/2002