Christmas Marathon!

Bhajan is needed to support our preaching, that personal bhajan will give us depth and strength but then beyond it we go and somehow or other preach - immediately there is ecstasy.

We remember the stories in Lilamrita...the times when the first Christmas marathons were invented accidently.....
Rameswara was describing how he was the first one back in the temple. He thought he was the latest, he thought he had been the longest that day and he thought he had broken all world records! He done more books than he ever did and came back to the temple about midnight and ......Nobody was back yet! Everyone was out!
They had discovered the Christmas marathon!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 29/04/2005)

Becoming Absorbed Giving Out The Mercy!

Kadamba Kanana Swami

When we begin to share Krishna consciousness with others and we are actually getting into the mood of giving Krishna consciousness then it becomes something really wonderful!
I was in South Africa and we were in the big Ratha Yatra last year - there was an incident:
Kavicandra Maharaja who is so skinny and so weak in a sense, physically - not strong, he got so fired up! So fired up to give the mercy, especially to the African people in a deplorable condition. He was running up and down from the cart! He was taking prasadam and carrying it in this cloth, running around and everyone was getting it! He was running around round the cart and he was so fired up – running from one person to another, jumping and giving it out! - like totally beyond himself in some sort of intoxication handing out just more and more of this mercy and running to give more and more!

We Have Changed And We Still Need To Change

Devotee's Question: In the Nectar of Devotion it says that if one comes before the Deities and claps their hands, then their minds change. So I was wondering, of course spiritual advancement is not so cheap, but I was trying to understand why we still remain so totally conditioned?

Kadamba Kanana Swami: There have been so many lifetimes in this world and we have been so entangled in materialistic activities, unlimited lifetimes that even although that we clap our karma changes, still there is so much karma left that we don’t notice it so quickly. But actually a lot of changes are there - What to then speak if we actually chant the Mahamantra.
It says that if one only chants the Mahamantra once he gets more purified than more sinful activities than one can commit in a lifetime. So in this way this Mahamantra is so powerful.
Yet we chant for years we still feel “ahh not so pure” although we have been changed by this chanting at the same time. We feel that something has really changed - but we still feel that we need to change a little more also.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 21-06-2004)

Krishna’s smile is welcoming us

Kadamba Kanana Swami

The jnani is more concerned with that aspect that this world is temporary and full of misery. The devotee is seeing behind this material world is Krishna, for he sees everywhere Krishna, because the creations tell something about the creator.

Just as an example human beings have made so many things - example a car:
A car says a lot about human beings. It has eyes, it has a nose, it has a place where you put the petrol, the fuel, it has a tank , it has an exhaust! It has a nerve system-the electrical wiring, it has veins in the form of tubes!

There are so many similarities- it tells a lot about it’s maker, because it is fully relating to the senses of it’s maker. It’s serving those senses, therefore it is an extension of the senses. So this material world is also revealing something about the nature of Krishna and this is interesting to the devotee. In the tenth canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam it is stated that if you see beauty within this world then know it to be the smile of Krishna.

Mercy - Even Behind The Ghastly Feature

Kadamba Kanana Swami

We are speaking about the happiness and the unhappiness in the material world and is there really ugliness ...because ultimately everything is resting on Krishna‘s divine energy and He is unlimitedly beautiful?


So yes on the surface we are seeing happiness and distress. The eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita shows how all the heroes of the battlefield are being crunched with the teeth of the universal form like potato chips, it’s ghastly, it’s heavy!
This is the ghastly feature of the Lord, that is there. But because we see behind it: the mercy of the Lord, we see that whatever harshness of the Lord is there in the material world is simply there to rectify our own harsh nature.

Visit to Cape Town

Kadamba Kanana Swami graced Cape Town from 27 September to 1 October 2009. It was barely 4 days, and apart from the daily morning classes, Maharaja gave the lecture at the Sunday program (excerpt below), did 2 house programs, BYS at Stellenbosch University, Yoga Lounge preaching program and found time for a Japa walk on the beach

Bhagavad-gita 2.11

In this way, in life, we are trying to enjoy as much as we can… that’s one thing. And at the same time we trying to duck the unpleasant things that are sometimes flying around.

I had experience, because onetime in India, I was riding on the train and … with an open window because it was bahur garam, very hot and just then… I don’t know who did it because when you travel on the train you don’t know, but suddenly a big ball of cow-dung flew into the train and hit me right in my face... and I tell you when that comes in with about 70 or 80 kilometres an hour… it was soft, so it didn’t injure my face although… but it splashed hard and it managed to cover everything… not just my face but my clothes from top to bottom and everything.

And you know how you feel at a moment like that. You can’t believe that this had just happened. You just thinking, this is not true… this hasn’t happened. The mind doesn’t want to accept. The mind sort of no, no! This is just, this is not possible. This cannot happen, this is not normal.

I still remember the experience – it took me hours to get it all off in a train. In a train, it is not exactly where you go take a shower. So it was quite an experience and at that moment anyone could have told me: But Prabhu, (because I was not a sannyasi then) but Prabhu, cow-dung is pure! (lots of laughter)

But you know, those are not the moments when you want to hear transcendental philosophy. (laughter) Those are moments, you really like hope that somebody has a solution, something practical, something absolutely practical.

So my point is that, although we try to enjoy in this world, it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes you get a certain substance straight in your face, and what you gonna do about it? You just have to take it.

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Kadamba Kanana Swami
Cape Town, 27 September 2009

BEAUTY + SUFFERING

Kadamba Kanana Swami

We are looking upon this unlimited material energy and we see both: The beauty and The suffering.

I was thinking – a beautiful lawn and how it stands as a symbol for enjoyment, a place for picnic. A place where one can sit and everything is very pleasant.

Peaceful bees humming and butterflies and birds chirping, beautiful musical arrangements, sunrays, nice, warm, pleasant and so on, beautiful colours and what not....

Entangled in Service - No time For Maya!!

All this attachment to the material energy – the best cure is to simply become preoccupied with engaging your energies in the service of Krishna.
Once you start doing it you become so entangled in engaging your energy in the service of Krishna that you don’t have any time anymore for sense gratification! That’s how it works.
That was Srila Prabhupada’s trick. He saw how attached we were to the material energy and instead of engaging us in chanting all the time, he engaged us in using the material energy in service. Since that time life has become so complicated that we can never finish our service! And absolutely no time for maya anymore!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 01/07/2009)

Feeling separation....Krishna wants more now!

We should increase the quality of our chanting, that ‘s what it means: “The ten offences- it is also offensive to be inattentive while chanting the holy name.”
To not be inattentive but to really chant to increase the quality, improve the quality.
As soon as we feel even a little bit of separation from Krishna:
“Oh, Krishna is not fully satisfied, Oh a little bit of separation: Krishna wants more now!
Krishna for whatever reason He wants more surrender now!”
That is the note from Krishna: “ Time for you to make more endeavour”

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 07/09/2003)

Krsna's pastimes...brilliant and spectacular!

Just like a jewel shines more in a dark place, Krsna's eternal pastimes likewise are more brilliant and spectacular in the material world (vraja bhumi) than in the spiritual world...

HH Kadamba Kanana Swami

An adventure!

When you speak, you go from one thing into another, and it’s like an adventure! When we are speaking about Krsna consciousness it’s like an adventure because you don’t always know where you wind up! It’s not like the type of speech, which is completely written out...I was sitting next to someone on a plane who had a speech that he was supposed to give and it was completely written out- completely! My lecture this morning is not like that! It’s not that I wrote it out and memorized it or that I have a piece of paper sort of under the table and when I’m looking down in humility that I’m actually reading the note! (Laughter) It’s not like that- no. It’s…one point leads into the next…

(HH KKSwami, Sep 2009, Durban, SA)

The Meaning Of Love...

Love means to put our ideas aside for someone else. When we love someone we will put our own agenda aside and just try to please that person and we'll only do for that person what that person desires. So our love for Prabhupada has to show in how much we are ready to put our own agenda aside and embrace his agenda and do what is dear to him. That is where our love will show...

(HH KKSwami, Vrndavan, Oct 2009)

Kirtan!

Kirtan makes up for our lack of knowledge. It makes up for everything- every defect that is there. Kirtan makes everything auspicious...!

(HH KKSwami, Durban, 2008)

We have to make a conscious endeavour

Spiritual advancement is a matter of desire.
Some devotees are trying to brainwash themselves, that’s what they are trying to do to themselves.

They are hoping that: “If I keep on just chanting chanting chanting I will just be brainwashed and one day I will just be feeling different. I will just no longer be attracted to anything material”

But the attraction to the material energy is very very strong and the attraction of the material energy may be there.

One must consciously say goodbye to it but on the strength of tasting inspiration in Krishna consciousness. So if then one keeps on taking shelter of this Krishna conscious inspiration then we can say goodbye.

We have to make a conscious endeavour. It is not just automatic pilot. We must really go deep in our hearing and chanting.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami class on Bhagavad Gita 4.4)

Posting of MP3's

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Full Steam Ahead

So we see that in Kadamba Kanana Maharaja. He has given this lifetime to Krsna. We all try to somehow or the other get things done, or things may not get going. So we have to take some responsibility to push Prabhupada’s movement and Kadamba Kanana Maharaja is an excellent example of that.

Really working hard, and even risking his health to go the extra mile for Prabhupada, for presenting Krsna consciousness, for giving Krsna consciousness, for giving people the experience of Krsna consciousness. So I really appreciate that so much in him!

Every devotee, particularly every senior devotee, they have certain qualities which are outstanding, and of course Maharaja has many, but for me, I really appreciate this, as I’ve said, especially in our festivals, so many times he comes and he’s not well and I tell him, you know you should be careful. He says, “Yes, yes, I will.”

But as soon as you turn around, there he is in the kirtana, full steam ahead!

Bhakti Caitanya Swami at Kadamba Kanana Swami's Vyasa Puja, 4 May 2008

Sri Sri Radha Radhanath, Durban, South Africa

In the spirit of being compassionate

Kadamba Kanana Swami

Without being merciful to others we can not get enough taste in Krishna consciousness to maintain it. We may get it for a while but we can not maintain it if we are not merciful to others. That is essential! Somehow or other we have to do something to pass on Krishna consciousness.

Animals and Hypocrites

Kadamba Kanana Swami

In the age of Kali the general populus is only consisting of two kinds of people, animals and hypocrites: Animals that are blatantly degraded and hypocrites that are acting as if they are not degraded but are actually degraded! These are the only two classes of people will we can find in this age. Animals and hypocrites.
The hypocrites are walking around in nicely polished suits and nicely polished behaviour, snobbish noses and look down on others that are so degraded, but they too are engaged in so many sinful activities, equally but all hidden and secretly. The so called most pious etc...also have their most sinful moments!

Satisfying Krsna...

Sometimes when we preach we forget Krsna. We preach but we act as if Krsna's not there and then we start to preach to satisfy the audience. And Prabhupada said, "we don't care to satisfy the audience; it's not our business. Our business is to satisfy Krsna. We speak to satisfy Krsna." If the audience likes it or not it doesn't matter. Because one who satisfies Krsna, will ultimately satisfy all the people...

(HH KKSwami, Sep 2009, South Africa)

Kirtan- transcendental life!

The mercy of the spiritual master comes in the form of the holy name- to take shelter and serve the holy name. Our movement is dedicated to serving the holy name, even Deity worship. But the essence of our Deity worship is the kirtan- that is what brings transcendental life!
(HH KKSwami, Durban, 2008)

Cheap, Quick, Shallow: "I love you!"

Kadamba Kanana Swami

In this material world everything is so gross and cheap. So here when there is a meeting between lovers and then within no time it’s the full embrace and that’s what it is all about...the works..Right?! Right down to the action! The main thing! Let’s not waste any time! Acceleration from zero to hundred in two seconds right?! That is the material experience. Very quick and very shallow and with strong exchanges.
But in the spiritual loving exchanges things are very different. In the spiritual loving exchanges everything is so meaningful that slight little exchanges are performed again and again and are giving so much satisfaction.

This is our last life...

That spirit that this is our last life- that its supposed to be our last life- that is important for all. That we have to keep in mind. That should be our meditation in devotional service, that 'I'm going to make this the last life.'
(HH KKSwami, Melbourne, 2009)

Changing the Face Of The World

Kadamba Kanana Swami: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “I am just one gardener, how can I single handedly harvest all these fruits. I need help. Therefore I order every devotee in the world to help to pick and distribute these fruits.”



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Developing Our Personality For Krishna!

Kadamba Kanana Swami

Use it for Krishna. Use your abilities, use your talents, use your nature develop it, be who you are, you are artistic - oh good do it for Krishna, you want to act - yes you can do it for Krishna...everything is possible.
So there is a way we can develop our personality in the service of Krishna. I’ll give you an example:

There were two friends they were from Scotland and they came to Australia, they came to the new world because they wanted adventure, they joined the fire brigade.
So it is not as adventurous as you think because most times it’s a kitchen curtain that catches fire, it’s already out when you come or there is an old lady that has called because there is a cat in the tree, something like that but sometimes there is a real fire, a bush fire or something. So yes there is fun sometimes. Anyway, so they were in the fire brigade and they developed a bit of a routine, but then one of the two became involved with the Hare Krishnas and he really got into it!

His friend got worried and was like “Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t just give up everything and join the Harrys , No, don’t do that!”

Super Ultra Fantastic Like You Never Had It Before!

Jayadvaita Swami

We have two kinds of needs, material and spiritual. I can't deny that I have basic material needs, like eating for example. 'Well I'm spiritually realised I don't eat anymore', um...No, you need eating, sleeping. Can't really do without it. Mating. Another basic human need. And defending, we need to defend ourselves from time to time. We need to have some security. The animals do these things: they sleep, they mate, they defend. Humans beings do these things, and they're necessary. But they are not everything.
"What's your goal in life?"
"Well, to eat, to sleep, to have sex, and, defend myself."
Oh great that's really fantastic!

We Need Mercy of Sri Chaitanya and Karuna Nitai

Kadamba Kanana Swami

There is no Incarnation of the Lord who is more important to the fallen conditioned souls as Lord Chaitanya, there is no Incarnation. Lord Chaitanya is none other than Krishna.
We should understand that our Istadeva, our Worshipable Lord is Lord Chaitanya and that is basically the message of Chaitanya Caritamrita.

Vrndavana is our home...

To be deep in Krsna consciousness is not necessarily the same as "Are you fired up?" 'Are you fired up?' can also be the mode of passion. In the mode of passion there are lots of flames! So somewhere we must find a resting place at the lotus feet of Krsna. We must somewhere find, 'yes, this is really home.' Vrndavana is our home...In the Dutch passports in the past, they use to write, 'Place of Residence' so I had Vrndavana in there! And I kept it for years and atleast wherever I was, the passport reminded me that the dhama is our residence...
The dhama is a state of consciousness and the devotee must somehow or other be in that Vrndavana consciousness. We must cultivate this Vrndavana consciousness...

(HH KKSwami, Sep 2009, Melbourne)

Simple Formula

When I first came to the Hare Krishhna temple it was close to Janmastami and on Janmastami they were all fasting and at the same time they were cooking. I couldn’t get it: “What kind of people are these?” They’re fasting all day and there cooking all day at the same time. I couldn’t get it!
But later on I understood that they are not cooking for their own pleasure but they are cooking for the pleasure of Krishna.
That’s a simple formula, for the pleasure of Krishna. Chant for the pleasure of Krishna, not for our own pleasure but for the pleasure of Krishna.
“ Oh I am chanting my japa now and I am not feeling so happy” –that’s because you’re chanting for your own pleasure, but if you would chant for the pleasure of Krishna then first of all you will stop murmuring: "murmur murmur murmur krishna krishna rama rama murmur murmur"...how can you offer that to Krishna! That’s not very pleasing!
You have to offer Him something a little better. So pronounce it:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 15/02/2009)

Not Complete, Not Satisfying....Limited!

There's the material world and there's the physical disappointment.
You know we wanted, we didn't get it!
Or we wanted it, we got it and we lost it!
So there's that disappointment.
And there's, yeah, a deeper psychological or spiritual disappointment.
'I got it but I felt empty' or 'I have it all but I feel empty' right?'
The biggest richest, most educated whatever, they feel something's not complete!
Something's not satisfying!........... The physical, there's a limit on how much happiness can you get out of one little sense. It's limited!

(Jayadvaita Swami 10/2007)

Limitations Of The Material energy

There is always some contradiction between our desire and what we can do, between how we want to use our body and then some signal of pain warns us "No you can't do that!" There are limitations.

When you are a kid you have to discover all these things, what your limitations are....I learnt that I could not walk on water, I tried it but I couldn't do it! I tried all kinds of things, I tried cross a great canyon by hanging on the washing line but that also didn't work! I crashed in the great canyon, almost broke my back!
So one learns the limitations of the material energy

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 21/06/2004)

The Eternal Lord

Kadamba Kanana Swami

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is recognised in the Vedic literature as non different from Krishna. It is said that when any incarnation of the Lord appears in this world it must be that that incarnation is referred to in scripture, not that just anyone can stand and say " I am God."
Not long ago I met God, in New York, right?! It was a big surprise because he was an ugly old man in his sixties, so I said, "So, you are God?"
He said, " Yes, I am it...."
I said " Well, that's nice for you, if you are God, then you must have also, supernatural power. You must have divine power. You must be able to control the various forces of nature. If you wish... "
We were looking at some trees, we were sitting on a park bench looking at some trees I said, "If you wish you could make these trees three times as big, just like that, if you desire so. It would just happen on the spot."
He said, "No, no, that's your definition, that's your definition of God, but my definition is not that."
I said " Well, okay, what is your definition?"
He said, "Well, God is love and love is God."
And that was it, but, nothing to do with power. So what is the point?

Be Regular...!

The best thing is to chant at the same time everyday. Best thing is to chant 16 rounds in one go- not break them up. The breaking up of rounds is not good- 4 here, 4 there, 6 and then the left overs- that's not the best. The best is to just stop everything and 16 rounds at one stretch. That's the best. Or a few rounds before mangal arati and the rest after, that's also best. Or all rounds before mangal arati- the very best! And the worst is those late night rounds...!

(HH KKSwami, Melbourne, Sep 2009)

Freedom!!!!

There is no limit to what one can express in spirit and therefore no one likes limit. I think the big theme of the sixties was to throw off all oppression, not just social oppression but off all oppression that exist in the whole world. To fully realise our potential and everyone was going to do that. So first of all throw away all social restrictions and we took up a guitar and we began to sing songs about “Freedom!” “Freedom!” and “Freedom” again. Lots of talk about freedom!
The idea of freedom was that it can not only be freedom from parents, a freedom from society, freedom from all the false restrictions that are imposed on people in society but it also has to be an inner freedom . Therefore a lot of people understood it has to be another kind of consciousness.

So they tried, they tried to reach that by using different drugs and so on but of course that is artificially induced. So that’s not actually transformation of consciousness.

But Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was teaching the transformation of consciousness: A perfect transformation of consciousness and this perfect state of consciousness is to be fully happy from one moment to the next, increasingly!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 21/06/2004)

"Can't you catch me first and then I'll let go?" Video!

You may remember the "Can't you catch me first and then I'll let go?" post of the dramatic performance that Kadamba Kanana Maharaja did in Pretoria, South Africa. Here's the video below:

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Things that speak to our heart...

Externally, the arrangements that we make can have a great effect on our consciousness. Pictures of Vrndavana, nice pictures around us- yes it helps a lot! It reminds us. And not just a picture, 'okay, Maharaja said we have to have a picture of Vrndavana, so go to Google, type in Vrndavana- 20 pictures came up and download one and put it up...' No! The picture that you collect has to be a picture that really strikes you! Put that on your wall! Put on something that really speaks to you! Put on something that really overwhelms you again and again! Put that on your wall! Make that wall an extraodinary wall- it is a spiritual world! In this way we surround ourselves with spiritual impressions and make our home into a holy place. In the same way we are listening to transcendental music, something that touches your heart.

All these things that speak to our heart create an external world that will support us, that will inspire us...it helps- it helps a lot! We need it!

(HH KKSwami, Melbourne, Sep 2009)

The Covering Effect of Maya

Few Quotes by Kadamba Kanana Swami

"A passionate person is so full of desire to enjoy that a passionate person projects that desire to enjoy upon the world"

"If we still think that we can be happy in the material world, then we will always be looking for it"

"We’ll never be happy in this world. I know it is a very hard thing to say and not everyone may agree with it, but if you don’t agree with it then know: This is maya"

"So the lower nature basically is all based on our personal enjoyment"

"When the eternal living being comes under the influence of the material energy then he is trying to exploit that material energy."

"The problem is that the consciousness remains covered and therefore one can not see Krishna clearly."

Increased Endeavour To Attract Krishna

Kadamba Kanana Swami

So when we are so close to the drop, we feel the power of maya is pulling at us. So what do we do at that stage? One feels very weak and sometimes devotees at that stage in full knowledge of the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and being fully attracted,appreciating the beauty of the Deities and Krishna are still suddenly finding themselves very close to maya and.....fall down!
So how to save ourselves at that time. So that is my question that I want to present here.

When we have come to this point it is an impetus to make an increased effort. That is actually the meaning of it. The meaning of it is, is that at that stage when we are far from Krishna then we have to make a tremendous effort to somehow or other attract Krishna. That is the only thing that will save us. An intense effort will save us at that point.

Protect Your Rounds!

If we are running all day and we do every little bit there is to do of service in the temple and we chant terrible rounds, is that really what we should be doing? I don't think so...I think one has to understand that that's an over-endeavor. We have to really protect these rounds somehow or other. Even in the name of service do not negelct them...

(HH KKSwami, Melbourne, Sep 2009)

Let's Talk About You

Audience: If everyone tries to achieve spiritual happiness then they're not going to get married. The human race is going to go back down....

Jayadvaita Swami: If everyone tries for spiritual happiness, then nobody's going to get married and that's the end of the world....

Audience: And there's no children being made...

Jayadvaita Swami: Of course everybody's trying to move things in that direction, knock down the population so, you know, let's try it for fifty or hundred years! Try it the other way let's do this!

But I doubt that there's serious endanger of seeing that happen, that everyone goes stark raving spiritual and that's the end of marriage!
You know it's kind of like everyone's going to get rich: It's just not going to happen. That won't happen. But it is just as well, not everyone's going to be a PHD candidate. Not everyone's going to do so many things. Not everyone's going to be a philanthropist. But let's not talk about everyone, let's talk about, you. Let's talk about me, let's talk about us. You know what the whole world does we can leave till later. But you! Is it a sensible proposition for you to invest your energy in investigating or even pursuing spiritual happiness? That is really the question before us.

(Jayadvaita Swami 10/2007)

Follow your taste!

If there is one melody that just transports you to the spiritual world, try to learn it! If you can't, play it on a tape over and over until it just sorts of...you wake up with it, you go to bed with it...it's always there! Like that, to get absorbed, to be drawn to Krsna is actually a natural way of developing Krsna consciousness. That can already happen very quickly because we have taste. So we should follow our taste...

(HH KKSwami, Melbourne, Sep 2009)

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More relaxed...

I use to chant my rounds faster before. I slowed down on chanting- it's more relaxed. Now I just try to be relaxed while I'm chanting. I try to chant attentively without any stress. And I get more out of it actually than I use to...

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Sep 2009)

Japa reflections...

Latest on Japa Talks...


HH Kadamba Kanana Swami:
The month of Kartika is over now. I've made an endeavor in chanting by fixing an extra quota of rounds for the month. In the first week the chanting went well and I was thinking during the chanting that i was going before Krsna and that I didn't want to offer Him any frustration about the material world. So I detached from all concerns pertaining to this world during my chanting and just tried to make my offering to Krsna nicely and purely, Then came a period of strugglle, there were so many other things to do, such as travel , meetings and preaching programs and finally also I became ill for some days with a frozen shoulder which was very painful. During that time the chanting was a great struggle. I took it that Krsna wanted me to show determination. At the end of the month I completed my quota. Just like mother Yasoda I have tried to catch and tie up Krsna, but my rope is still two fingers short, but I hope that Krsna is a little satisfied with me. I will keep on trying.

More Reasons For Vegetarianism (VIDS!)

The Temporary Thing

Jayadvaita Swami

Live for the moment or seize the day and then get what you can out of it now,

You can take that approach......But
if there's something higher while you're busy seizing the temporary thing, you're losing the better thing.
The person who gives up the eternal for the temporary, loses both! He loses the eternal because he gave it up, and he loses the temporary, because it's temporary! And the person who gives up the temporary for the eternal does not lose anything! Because the temporary he gave up he's going to lose anyway and the eternal's permanent!

(Jayadvaita Swami 10/2007)

Taste Is The Key!

Somehow or other faith is related to taste. Without taste no faith.
Even the stongest faith, if there is no taste it crumbles quick, it breaks down very fast. Taste is the principle that strengthens our faith.
It is through taste that we are becoming more and more strong in our spiritual life. otherwise it is difficult,. No taste No faith.....
So TASTE IS THE KEY!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami,
Class B.G 4.39)

SB 4.1.28-30 - In Full Sincerity

During the disappearance festival of Srila Prabhupada, Kadamba Kanana Swami gave class on Srimad Bhagavatam 4.1.28-30. During the class he remembered how we owe everything to Srila Prabhupada, including the Krishna Balarama temple in Vrindavan.

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Impressions from India 2009

I visited India, Vrindavan and Mayapur during the month of Kartika and made some nice photos.

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Take it straight away!

If you get some maha prasadam, you should take it straight away without any delay. It doesn't matter if it's in the middle of the night or what! Don't keep it; take it straight away because it may not be there anymore! So when we get the mercy in Krsna consciousness, we should take it. We should not wait and think, 'well, I'll take it later' because later may never come...

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami)

SB 4.1.57 - By the Glance of the Lord

During the month of kartika in Vrindavan Jayadvaita Swami gave a short but powerful class with complementing questions and answers. One of the questions was "Why is there still religion when we have modern science?". Maharaja answered quickly and forcefully and gave 4 reasons:

• Birth, disease, old age and death
• What is the purpose of life?
• Why we suffer in this material world?
• Who am i?

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There Is No excuse. It will work!!!

"Even if we are the most sinful person in the entire universe, still the holy name can purify that in a moment."

"There is really no valid excuse that Krsna consciousness wouldn’t work for us. It will work for us- it will work for anyone and everyone, irregardless of his condition of life."

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 08/09/2008)

The Boatman

Kadamba Kanana Swami

When Lord Ramacandra was asked to leave for the forest by His father, at that time all the residents of Ayodhya decided to go with Him and they decided to all go to the forest together. So there was a huge camp with Lord Ramacandra. Lord Ramacandra was thinking: “This is not fulfilling the order of My father, he wanted Me to be in exile.”
So He got up in the middle of the night and told His chariot driver: "Let’s go."
They left in the middle of the night ......Then He walked and came to a river.

At that river there was a boatman. And this boatman took Sita, Rama and Laksmana across the river. Lord Ramacandra made a gesture to give a reward to that boatman and Sita gave him a pearl necklace. But the boat man didn’t want that pearl necklace: “No, no I can’t take it”

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar

"The first time I was introduced to Indian music was that in the concert that George Harrison organised for Bangladesh, at that time he had invited Ravi Shankar….there were big floods in Bangladesh and they were trying to raise funds and then he introduced Ravi Shankar who was going to play the sitar and he said that: “The music that we are playing this evening is now a little different to the normal music that we are used to in the west, it is of a more serious nature”

(Kadamba Kanana Swami)

Where every word is a song and every step is a dance...

I heard that these devotees in Soweto, who always come for all the Ratha Yatra’s, that when they received Bhakti Caitanya Maharaja’s Ratha Yatra video, they took especially the kirtana DVD, and as soon as they got it hot off the press, they put it in the video slot and they played it the whole night and they danced in front of the TV! Now, that did something to me. I don’t usually cry tears when I hear stories of Srimati Radharani; I’m like that you know, I don’t know, I’m too fallen, I’m not so advanced. When I hear stories of rasa-lila – no tears; I like the stories but no tears. But when I hear stories of African people dancing in front of the TV watching the kirtana, then I cry tears...

Watch a short clip below of Kadamba Kanana Maharaja and the Soweto kids dancing around the Soweto RY grounds (26 Sep 2009):

Can't view video? Go here

Just one devotee...

Sometimes we don’t understand how deeply personal this movement is and that one soul who has rendered service is being so much appreciated by Krsna, is being so much appreciated by Krsna’s pure representative. Just one devotee. If only we could understand the value of just one devotee then maybe our whole devotee association would be different...

(HH KKSwami, 19 Sep '09, SA)

KRISHNA'S BIRTHDAY, better than our birthdays!

Kadamba Kanana Swami

When I was the temple president over a temple in Vrndavan, there were many boys who wanted to stay in the temple, they came from some village, simple boys. So they came and I asked them: 'So what is your date of birth?'
I asked all this: 'Name. Date of birth....' you know writing it all down just in case we needed that......So 'Date of birth..' and they go like 'Er, I don't know..'
'Date of Birth, please' and 'I don't know!'
So it was just 'Well, when's your birthday...'
So I was asking them: 'When is your birthday?' 'I don't know!' Um, 'How old are you? 24, 25? Now look how old are you 24 or 25?' 'Hmm.. 24, 25? What is this 24, 25? Huh?'

It turns out, they didn't know, they had no idea, they didn't know when their birthday was, can you imagine?! I don't know about you, but I know about me. My Birthday was the most important day in the world!

Let Everyday Be A Festival !

The consciousness of the spiritual world, to celebrate every day. Just make every day into a festival. Why let any day be a boring day?
Let no day be a boring day! Let everyday be a big festival for Krishna, and let's get into it!
The more we get into it, the more enthusiastic, the more lively we become, and the more nice it is!!!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 06/06/1999)