Digging in the Mines of the Scriptures!

There was a picture of Pulinda lady who came to Krsna and who was coming door to door selling some fruits, and Krsna as a child, when He heard that she was selling some fruit, He came out of the house and He brought some grains in His hand to exchange for the fruits - But because He was very small, he dropped all the grains on the floor! They all fell through his hands and everywhere. So in the end he had nothing left, but she didn’t mind. She just simply piled Him up with fruits! It was so nice. Then when she looked in her basket - the basket was filled with jewels!

So, it is Krsna’s magic basket! It is the magic basket of that Pulinda woman that is filled with jewels by Krsna. So this evening we are speaking about the jewels of Krsna.

In Caitanya Caritamrita it is stated that one should dig in the mines of the scriptures to collect the jewels from there. So it is interesting that jewels are available, but that one has to dig, and cannot expect the jewels to pop out of the sky: “Oh what’s that?”

I think that most of us have grown beyond the level of dreaming like that. We know that if you want something, then you have to work for it, you have to make a sacrifice. Digging in the mines of the scriptures, means a sacrifice. Isn’t it? That’s a fact. So sacrifice is there. In spiritual life we have to make an endeavour.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 11th December 2010)

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Maharaja Pariksit

Dancing in ecstasy is natural but it has to be learnt. Glorifying Krsna is also natural because Krsna’s qualities are so wonderful- that is not at all difficult to describe – the amazing nature of Krsna! That is very simple.

One can look in all directions and find something wonderful about Krsna. For example let us go to Srimad Bhagavatum and in the beginning of the Bhagavatam we get some little portion of the Mahabharata. We get the situation where Aśvatthāmā has decided to kill the very last of the Pandavas, so that they will become extinct by killing Maharaja Pariksit in the womb as is planned. For the purpose thus he has unleashed the ultimate weapon: a brahmastra.
So this weapon is coming with great speed towards the womb, but Uttarā is running towards Krsna for protection! Krsna is personally protecting the embryo in the womb - Maharaja Pariksit.

We think we are in control

Everyone in India are very expert in getting into the front of the line. They sort of walk past the line as if they have nothing to do with the line (laughter) -as if they are going somewhere else and they are looking if there is someone in the line who is spaced out and at that next moment they are in front of that person (laughter). Preferably they bypass the line completely and walk straight into the office of the supervisor – this is quite common.

So what can we say, but we are very good in finding the favourable position – we are very expert. It is second nature – we know how to do it, so we think that we are in control. But at one point when it gets very difficult, then we just have to come to the point where we accept; “Whatever the Lord desires!”.

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

Firmly Fixed in that Faith

The fear of death is always emerging again and again, but a devotee must gradually rise above! I remember here in Mumbai we had over here our Sridhara Maharaja who became ill. His liver became defected and his health was going down. He stayed in Mira Road near the Bhaktivedanta Hospital for treatment.

I recall that I came to visit Maharaja and at the door of his apartment there was a schedule, which said;

“Morning: Mangal Aarti, then Japa, then Bhagavatam….then a little break…then bhajans. At 12.00 more Srimad Bhagavatam followed by Kirtan”

The whole day there was schedule of hearing and chanting. I came in and said;

“Maharaja you have a pretty nice schedule posted on the door”

He said;

“Yah, otherwise people will just talk about my liver all day, and they’ll ask how my liver is and I will have to tell them how it is – that my liver is not so good. What can be said!"

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Better Safe Than Sorry (part 5)

Transcribed by Madhumati Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami,Chowpatty,
11th Dec 2010 )


Devotee : What happens is as you said about eating habits, we have our past conditioning, we were attached to some eating habits and foods - this attachment is haunting us.

Maharaja : Maybe we become a mouse in the next life then!

Devotee : We know we should not do it. Yet after some point it really haunts us and sometimes we get carried away also with those habits and temptations, at that time we then feel that we made a blunder in our Krishna consciousness.
So what must a devotee to do come back to the same level of consciousness and not repeat it?

Maharaja : First of all, it is not just that we are practicing our spiritual life on the path back to Godhead with the hand book of the sastra walking on the path and looking in the book. No. Krishna is also there, Krishna is also present, and sometimes He arranges that there is a pit on the road and just as we are too preoccupied with all the other things, then Krishna arranges that we fall on our face! That’s also there, so what do we do? ...

Leipzig Snow Pics!

On the morning of 26th December, Maharaja and I travelled from Durban to Johannesburg. Maharaja gave a talk and a sweet kirtan at Acharya Prabhu's house. The devotees were very happy to spend the time with Maharaja. Then at 6pm Sri Govinda Prabhu drove us to the airport and from there we flew to London. From London we then flew to Franfurt. At Frankfurt the train we had expected to get was cancelled. Maharaja was quick to do the enquiries and then told me to keep up, hurry up and we ran to the other side of the train station! Then we got a train to leipzig. There the enthused sankirtana devotees greeted Maharaja with a big kirtana.
This morning after the morning programme, we went for a japa walk .....in the freezing snow!!!

Our Only Security Is Krsna

We have so many false shelter; "My family gives me protection".

Bhagavatam says:

“ātma-sainyesv asatsv api” - Fallible soldiers – what kind of protection can they give us?

"My money will protect me".

Then you get an economical crisis and suddenly your bank has gone bankrupt and your money is gone! - Or it has no more value. What security is there in this world?
No security – we never know. Simply our only security is Krsna! ...

I depend on You

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...

Sunday is the day for Krsna

Sunday is an opportunity. An opportunity for special service, because on Sunday we are free – free for Krsna. That means Sunday is the day for Krsna. We can use the entire day for him! If we do that then so much inspiration we will gain from this day…. We will try and take advantage of this particular day - to especially meditate deeply on the goal, because when we are firmly fixed on the goal of spiritual life, then we are stronger in dealing with difficulties in spiritual life.

In the middle of the big festival everyone is inspired. On Sunday everyone is happy about the feast! It’s Monday when it’s tough – when you have to go back to work. That’s the tough part. Those are the days when spiritual life is hard. So we need to take advantage of these opportunities to serve Krsna, so that we become transcendental, and then when the material modes of nature create extreme circumstances – which they will do at times, that we will have the strength to see it as transcendental.

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

Cape Town and Durban Pics!

Merry Xmas!!!
Check out the pics for the last travels in South Africa for 2010.
Today we are going for a big house programme and feast at Ranchor Prabhu's house
(which is in one hours time!)

Beg, Borrow Or Steal the Nectar

For nectar you must be eager!
For nectar you must be awake,
for nectar you must search,
you must look,
you must somehow or other beg, borrow or steal!

In the early Matchless Gifts days one devotee had a very big ‘Simply Wonderful’ ,and he was sitting right in front of Prabhupada and then suddenly Bramananda’s hand just reached out grabbed that ‘Simply Wonderful’ and put in his mouth!
‘He took my ‘Simply Wonderful’,’ the devotee complained to Prabhupada.
Prabupad said: ‘Yes, he got the mercy!’
So, one must be eager for the mercy and take it straight away to it’s full satisfaction.

One must look for possibilities, not be shy. Go for it - where ever it is found.
It takes little bit of creative thinking to see that mercy. If we make this our mood in life, not only
in the festivals to look for the mercy, but to always to look the mercy of the Lord, then gradually we forget all about material desires.
Don’t worry about material desires Krsna will take them away!
Don’t worry about that, go look for the nectar!

Transcribed By Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Fruska Goranga camp 2010)

HARE KRSNA
HARE KRSNA
KRSNA KRSNA
HARE HARE
HARE RAMA
HARE RAMA
RAMA RAMA
HARE HARE

A Lock Will Not Do

At this stage of spiritual life where we are still in between Prahlada and Hiranyakashipu - we are not always inspired - there are plenty of days that we are struggling.
So we need some nectar. It’s very important that we have some nectar. It is not all about determination:
‘I shall do it!!! I shall never do it again!!! I’m giving up sex life!!! At least all illicit sex, and in between I just bite a piece of wood!!!’
That is not going to work.
Srila Prabhupad spoke about a yogi who was walking naked and who had put a lock on his genitals and the Prabhupad asked the intelligent question:
‘They may put the lock, but the question is:
'who has the key?!?'’
Yes, very intelligent. A lock will not do, - what will the piece of wood will do?

We need nectar in Krsna Consciousness.

Transcribed By Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Fruska Goranga camp 2010)

Totally Absorbed!

Haridas Thakur was totally absorbed! He had become so simple that he let go of everything! He just let go and he simply chanted. That takes such simplicity. What can we do if we are not so simple? We are complex. We are attached to Krsna, but we are also attached to so many other things. We are attached to worship in this way and that way.

Alright, it maybe done, but we can only do what is authorised in the scriptures. All attachments that are not authorised in the scriptures must be given up!
(Sanskrit). With a sword of knowledge we have to cut and all other things maybe done. Puja – we are not against puja…mantra dantra – fine. But everything must be proceeded and followed by the chanting of Hare Krishna! 16 rounds minimum must be chanted. Then you may engage in other types of service. In this age of Kali without the chanting of Hare Krishna, it is not possible to attain perfection.

Lord Caitanya said;

“I will not accept the offering of anyone who doesn’t chant one lakh of names” One lakh is 64 rounds!

Srila Prabhupada for this modern age prayed to Krishna…to Lord Caitanya;

“Please accept them at 16 rounds” But prauphada said “ 16 rounds and no less - that must be there”.

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

The Ultimate Fight

Transcribed by Savitri Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Serbian Summer Camp, 2009)

In Caitanya Caritamrta it is said that one must accept Lord Caitanya in the innermost chambers of his heart. Our heart can be compared with palace with many rooms...In the centre of the palace are the private chambers. There we have our hidden life, the private life, there we keep our hidden separate desires. It is a big challange to really give that one to Krsna also. As long we have any hidden separate desires we will still have that private chamber which is locked so that Krsna can't get in...

Our Commitments Increase our Surrender

Transcribed by Savitri Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Serbian Summer Camp, 2009)

After I took sanyas some television crew came and they immediately put the microphone under my nose and said:
' Do you feel any different?
'I said : 'If you would ask that question to a man who has just got married, what would he say? He would say 'yes, I feel different now, because I feel the weight of responsibility.' '
I also felt the weight of responsibility then and there. I took that external commitment - Sanyassa - I walked around with this heavy vow, such a heavy vow- not to enjoy in this world - No sense gratification at all. Then I could see that I will never survive this unless I really fill it in with some genuine attraction to Krsna...

Krsna, Whatever You Want

It is the fact that we have to give up all the sense for proprietorship. At one point we just have to accept that nothing is ours. In the Caitanya Caritamrta, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu tells to Sanatana Goswami that even his own body wasn't his. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says:
'You have surrendered to me, therefore your body is my property.'
So we have to gradually come to this point when we really say:
'All right, it's all Your property.“ and to let go the tendency to control a destiny of our life and to say:
'Ok Krsna, whatever you want.' - because, whether we have that mood or not, it's anyway going to be like that. Krsna will anyway, do what he wants!

Transcribed by Savitri Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Serbian Summer Camp, 2009)

Absorbed in Devotional Service

When we feel that life is long – do more service! The more we get absorbed in devotional service – the faster time goes by! One week will last only 3 days. You know how it feels when:

“God another week has gone and still I didn’t do anything”.

When we get absorbed in devotional service, life goes by very quickly and it gets auspicious!




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

We Must Take Shelter!

When weakness occurs – be brave. Respond by being brave. Respond by ignoring that weakness. Respond with strength. Sometimes I say it’s a weak devotee who will be there everyday in the Mungal Aarti. So it’s a weak devotee – strong devotee whether he is in Mungal Aarti everyday or not doesn’t really matter – he’s strong! But the weak devotee, he must be there everyday.

It’s the weak devotee that takes shelter. So we must learn to take shelter. We have no strength! We are full of fear – we are weak, but we must take shelter of the process that gives strength. The more fear we have, we take shelter of chanting Hare Krishna. We take shelter of the scriptures. We take shelter - that’s what will give us strength, and in that way we will rise above that weakness – than we will not stay in the impediment!

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

Talking about Krsna- the best!

How long can anyone be quiet? The birds sing, lions roar, babies cry, people talk. Who can be quiet and for how long? And what to talk about? The best thing really is to talk about Krsna! And that is sankirtana, to talk about the ‘kirti’, the fame of Krsna. And then comes the chanting of His Holy Name.

KKSwami, 20 Dec 2010, Japa Talks

Book Distribution In Cape Town Pics!

In the morning Maharaja gave a talk on the Glories of Srila Prabhupada and the preaching mission. Thereafter eight devotees including Maharaja hit the streets of Cape Town!

What are we doing about it?

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Delhi 2010)

"that is the situation, degradation is setting in very fast - very fast, rapidly, culture is being lost…
So it is coming to that very quickly - everything is getting lost:
Bollwood is growing and so on!
ISKCON is also growing but if ISKCON is not an active preaching movement then Mayavada will win the race."

People try different things

Where the mind needs new impulses and if there is no new experiences for the mind, then boredom sets in. People try different things:
free fall from a plane and see how long you can wait before you pull the parachute - ten meters above the ground …too late!

Like that in all kinds of countries people are taking to dangerous sports,
drive faster,
fly high
and try more excitement.
Some are trying intoxicants;
they try varieties of drugs and see what that does for you and expand your consciousness,
new horizons within, take a pill and experience ecstasy!
Of course it is artificial and plastic and imitation and again the same thing that feeling of emptiness is still not filled.
This is the nature of material life.


(Kadamba Kanana Swami 2005)

Krishna and His Breakfast

When Krishna is finished taking breakfast at home, then Krishna goes to the neighbours and has breakfast again - and then he goes to the next neighbours and has breakfast again!
So it just stays breakfast time! Time wise he can take breakfast everywhere and it is still breakfast time. For me I had a quick breakfast - for me everything was very fast but Krishna can take his time for breakfast with no problem at all, because for Krishna time is not an issue – it stays breakfast time!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Mayapur 2010)

The Need to rise Above It

The modes of material nature exists outside of us and also inside of us – They are not necessarily the same.
Externally we can be in a place of passion.
Internally we can be in a place of goodness.
So the reverse - imagine externally the place is in the mode of goodness:
"The swan, the lake, the lily."
But we are in passion… right? So then we sit there and say:
“Look at the stupid swan! I wonder if he can fly?” And then throw some stones! That’s when we are in the mode of passion and the place is in the mode of goodness...

When We Are Very Transcendental

Sometimes even in the cause of preaching we are confronted by the mode of ignorance and we have to deal with it.
We get very impulsive to the mode of ignorance and passion – that is dangerous!
For that we must only apply to a limited extent.

When we are very transcendental than you can do anything…..Prabhupada went to the morning star ranch in California, where hippies were living and many of them were not wearing clothes!
Prabhupada was with the boys and girls who had no clothes!
Prabhupada went there and had kirtan with them!
I wouldn’t do that - I think!
But Prabhupada was so transcendental that he could do such a thing.
But we must protect ourselves from the mode of ignorance.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, October 2010)

Pretoria Madness (pics!)

Non Stop Action in Pretoria!!!!

Blood, Sweat, Tears and Ecstasy!

If one really wants to do something for Krishna, it's not easy.
It's not easy at all to push on this Krishna consciousness movement in this world - not easy, it's heavy!
"Takes gallons of blood"
Blood, sweat, heh-heh... Tears!

But, it also becomes ecstatic.


Transcribed by Bhakta Frederick
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2008 Stockholm)

Conquering people's hearts

Transcribed by Savitri Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, 2009)

The one thing I want to say about charity is Vaisnava charity.. I am interested in Vaisnava charity. I am not interested in giving the donations here and there because when a Vaisnava gets charitable he doesn't just give the donation, he doesn't just give some of his wealth, Vaisnava gives himself. That is the greatest charity, when we give ourself.
This is how it works in devotional service, Vaisnava generosity goes beyond the logic. It goes beyond the calculation. It goes beyond the limits - and Krsna, somehow or other , helps...

Krishna Is Not Passive

We can see Krsna sometimes, how He speaks through someone or how He comes through someone. It is clearly not by chance and Krsna actively communicates with us. Krsna is not just a passive personality who is blessing us, Krsna is actively involved in our life - communicating with us and doing things, sometimes encouraging us and sometimes discouraging us.
In that way we have to see Krsna in whatever happens to us. We have to see. In that way we always are close with Krsna and we then try to adjust our life to pleasing Krsna, then more and more Krsna will begin to reveal Himself.

Transcribed by Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Sept 2010,
Yamuna Devi Dasi's House Programme)

Vaisnava Etiquette

In our old age we will be confronted with our lack of advancement. When we are young;
“ Ah I’m in spiritual life – I’m already getting advanced! So many years you know…phew! With so many things I’m advancing with big steps!”

But as time moves along we realise; ”I hardly advanced at all”.

As life is coming to an end we realise that;
“If the little bit of service that I had done – if that goes in the scale, and if they weigh it – is it enough to let me into the spiritual world?
I don’t know if it’s going to be enough? I have serious doubts if the weight of my service will be enough. Therefore, I beg for the weight of the blessings – because if I add the weight of the blessings – the vaisnavas they all have goodwill with Krsna! They all serve Krsna. If the vaisnavas will give me blessings – that will add weight in the scale, that just might tip the balance in my favour. So please give me your blessings”.

In this mood a vaisnava, one can never allow these remnants of the mode of ignorance in our nature to rise to the forefront. We must somehow or other check it, or control it by vaisnava etiquette.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, October 2010)

Latest Pics (From Chowapatty to Johannesburg)

After a busy busy weekend in Chowpatty, Maharaja and I flew from Mumbai to Johannesburg.
From here, we are going to Pretoria. Stay Tuned!

2011 is coming - New Plans for the future

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Holding Any Weapons?

We learn to see the material energy in connection with Krishna. We see that Krishna is behind everything and yet …Krishna never sets a foot out of Vrndavana – because the Lord is involved in His pleasure pastimes.
Srila Prabhupada describes how he had a German God brother who was a sanyassi called Sadanandan Swami and he said that this swami previously was a very evolved scholar. He came to India and he took darshans in various temples – and he saw Durga Devi with ten arms, weapons in different arms, many forms of the Lord, Shiva with a trident – he saw all these various forms of the Lord and then he saw Krishna. He saw how Krishna was not holding any weapons – he saw that Krishna was holding only a flute and he thought
‘Ah this is the Supreme Lord, this is the Supreme because he doesn’t have a job”
The Supreme Lord does not have any work to perform and yet by his energies everything is manifest.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Delhi, 2010)

establish the supremacy of Krishna bhakti

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Delhi, 2010)

This process of bhakti is not a process of tapsya, ..a little tapsaya in the beginning but there is so much bliss as one is advancing in Krishna consciousness. So much taste and therefore it is the process which is joyfully performed. That is the reason why bhakti is far superior than the teachings of mayavada…..
Therefore our mission is to drive out the influence of nirvesesa and sunyavada in this world and to establish the supremacy of Krishna bhakti everywhere. This must be done very forceful, very strongly, we can not be soft in this matter.
Yesterday I was reading on the plane, it was a long flight so I did a lot of reading:
There was a description where Prabhupada was asked:
“What about RamaKrishna?”
Prabhupada said: ‘He is a rascal” ...

Better Safe Than Sorry (part 4)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 11th Dec 2010)

Srila Prabhupada says surrender is to follow all rules and regulations - because surrender means to take shelter, surrender means that one sees the need to take shelter, surrender is not a fight with one’s mind and desires.
One might think that surrender is a fight with my mind and desires:
“My desires are different, I know I should surrender but I don’t feel like it. I have lots of desires.”
No, that’s not the issue, the issues is that we have not understood how much at risk we are, how much in danger we are, we have not understand how much we need to take shelter - if we thoroughly understand that how much we need shelter, then we say :
“These desires, these are dangerous, I might get burnt, No No, not going to do it. I am going to take shelter.” ...

Better Safe Than Sorry (part 3)

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 11th Dec 2010)

Ashrama that’s a matter of choice. There is no ashrama which is free from austerity- every ashrama brings it’s austerities one has to simply adjust to it. Every ashram requires lots of adjustment but that is required for us to be successful to rise above the karma. We don’t know what karma is still there, the aprarabda karma is stored within the heart - it is stored in the heart, so many sinful reactions from so many lifetimes, we don’t know what is there. We don’t know what reactions are still to come.
It is mentioned that Ajamila at the time of being a student, he was a brahamin. It is said that he was the best student among all the others, he was exemplary and there was no one like him. So, his teachers were very impressed by him and they were just wondering what kind of karma does this Ajamila have and so therefore one day they thought let’s consult an astrologer.
So, the astrologer calculated the birth chart of Ajamila and he saw to his astonishment that soon Ajamila would go into a very dark phase and then he would fall down in his brahaminical standards and would get involved in illicit activities with a prostitute. He could see it in the chart and the teachers were shocked! ...

Vaisnava Relationships

The modes of ignorance is actually affecting our behaviour and it is very difficult in the association of the vaisnavas to learn how to behave properly. But this is exactly what we have to learn. We have to truly become favourably disposed to it’s everyone. So that is when we see great personalities – that is their nature. They are favourably disposed to it’s everyone, and you see someone like Prabhupada – even he could chastise someone, but they still felt that actually he is very very merciful and kind, because underneath it he was totally favourably disposed. So this is a great point in spiritual life.

As the years go by – this becomes more and more prominent – vaisnava relationships. Day by day it becomes more important. Everyday in our spiritual life, the importance of vaisnava relationships is just slowly dawning upon us - little by little. As we are coming to the end of our life and realise that; “ Actually my main fault is that I didn’t do very well in the relationships of the vaisnavas. I have offended many”.

And it says that a saintly person at the end of his life is inclined to ask forgiveness. Srila Prabhupada also did. He asked several of his god brothers for forgiveness.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, October 2010)

Better Safe Than Sorry (part 2)

This morning Kadamba Kanana Swami gave a talk on transcending bodily conceptions and then there was a very interesting question and answer session with the Chowpatty devotees. Radhanattha Maharaja came in the afternoon and the both Maharajas enthused everyone at the Sunday Feast programme. As the pic shows, it was fully packed!!!

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Chowpatty, 11th Dec 2010)

The life of a devotee who is living in this highly contaminated age, when all around us so many things are going on and we see so much contamination, we must be careful. Therefore accepting service is risking in general, of course as a teacher you may sometimes accept service, Brahmanas accept service from those who are their students, like they bring some rice, Vaishnava’s also accept service when they act in the role of a teacher. But one must be very powerful to absorb sinful karma - it is not a light thing.
Srila Prabhupada was sometimes very liberal. In one case, there was a family which was not completely vegetarian but the lady in the house, she was herself vegetarian but her husband was forcing her to cook meat, so she once cooked a preparation for Prabhupada and it was offered to Prabhupada and then the devotees explained the situation.
Prabhupada said: “What can we do? If I don’t accept, How will she make spiritual advancement?”
So Prabhupada accepted, but one must be very pure to be able to do such a thing otherwise one certainly becomes overwhelmed by all these sinful reactions. Therefore we are strict - better safe than sorry because so many lifetimeS, since time immemorial in the material world.,,

The spiritual world within the material world

This land of Lord Krsna is His great and causeless mercy upon us because if we contemplate for a moment then what an amazing gift this is! The living beings have since time immemorial, anadir bahir mukhe, have turned away from Krsna for such a long time. Although Krsna is known as atmarama, He is known as one who is satisfied within and He is not dependent on anything else for satisfaction but we are always dependent; never can we be satisfied independently. But Krsna, He can be satisfied independently and yet still Krsna is feeling something lacking when some of the living beings have turned away from Him and have not joined His eternal pleasure pastimes. So Krsna thought to Himself, “let Me give them some mercy,” as anyone one would do. What would we do if our son who’s grown up would leave home and become totally degraded, somewhere in Mumbai or some place like that? Totally degraded and what can we do? He will not listen to anyone is such a state but we are always remaining his well wisher and we want to do something to give him some mercy. Krsna, in the same way, was thinking, “let me give some mercy, something…” Then He thought, “why something? I will not give them something, I will give them everything!” and then He manifested the entire spiritual world, within the material word. This is where we are! This Vrndavana is the spiritual world!

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