Kadamba Kanana SwamiUse 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!”
But he did it anyway. He was still working for a short while in the fire brigade with a shaved head and everything as a monk and then he said goodbye and he joined the Hare Krishnas.He didn’t see his friend for twenty five years. After twenty five years they met each other.
“ You son of a gun” whatever Scottish people say to each other and slapping each other on the back:
“I haven’t seen you for ages, how you doing hey?!”
“Are still with the fire brigade?”
“Yes, still with the fire brigade.”
“Still going to the same pub?”
“Yes, still going to the same pub”
“Still sitting on that same corner?”
"Yes, still sitting on that same corner. And you? Still with the Hare Krishnas? What did you do?”
“Oh well I’ve been over the whole world, I’ve been on TV many times, I’ve climbed Himalayas and been to the Ganga. I have been giving many speaking engagements in universities and I was once quoted in a newspaper. I wrote a few books and in between I have also learnt how to cook, I run a restaurant and ...that’s a typical Hare Krishna story!”
So twenty five years earlier his friend said: “How can you give everything up?”
Did he give everything up? No he didn’t give everything up, rather he did the opposite he developed himself and was doing all kind of things that he would never have done because that is how it is in the Hare Krishna movement, and the principle of it is is “Surrender Prabhu”
“Can you cook?”
“Err No”
“Oh, it’s easy we’ll show you. You just put some water on the fire and you throw in some rice and daal, stir it up a bit and twenty minutes later and you’ve got khichadi.”
Three days later you are in charge of the kitchen! That’s’ how it goes :
“Surrender Prabhu!”
I experience it also. I came to New York and I just arrived and they said:
“Can you drive?”
And I said “Yes.”
And they said “Oh good. we need a driver”
They took me around the corner to the car and put the keys in my hand. There was a truck , HUGE big yellow truck and I didn’t have a licence but anyway I drove it and on the back was a Harinama party!
I had to drive through the city of New York and it was
like "Brgghhhh!"( Maharaja makes sound of truck)
and I was shaking my head thinking:
“I mean even if they had paid me I would never have done this in my life, why am I doing this?!”
But in this movement you just can’t say no. Everytime you say "No" somebody says: “Surrender Prabhu, just surrender for Krishna”
And in this way you step outside of the box, as they say, out of the square, you start to do things that you would have never done and thus you develop sides to your personality that you didn’t even know you had! I didn’t know that I could drive big yellow trucks! But I can, Now I know!
In this way Krishna makes the impossible possible and that is what Srila Prabhupada taught us:
“Impossible is a word in a fool’s dictionary.”
And thus in the service of Krishna everything becomes possible. You don’t believe it, Krishna will help you.
ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
“I will carry what you lack and I will preserve what you have”
(Kadamba Kanana Swami 15/02/2009)
HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA
KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE
HARE RAMA HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
