(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Soweto South Africa, 15h April 2012) Lecture: CC Talk
How would a devotee know if he/she is ready for initiation?
If you want to take initiation then you have to have the desire to do it. First of all it has to come from you, not from us. Not that I’d say:
'Hey take initiation.'
Maybe sometimes I may say it but not all of the times, since you must want it. When you desire it then:
'Yeah but you have to prepare a little bit. You have to start practising it nicely everyday. Build it up and when you build up some spiritual strength then it is really nice.'
It's a change. We don't feel like, it's a change and it's not like that. Okay it does something to you and then you prepare for the second initiation.
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(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Lenasia South Africa, 15h April 2012) Lecture: BG 6.30
As soon as it gets a little difficult we forget the bigger picture. The bigger picture of course is:
'na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre,’ (Bg 2.20)
The soul doesn't take birth. The soul doesn't die. The soul is not slain when the body is slain! That is the theme of the second chapter, for which there are many verses:
'nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ,' (Bg 2.23)
The soul cannot be dried by the wind. It cannot be burned by fire, nor drowned or cut to pieces. Anyway all these things cannot be done to the soul. So one who lives deeply in this philosophical understanding is an enlightened person, undoubtedly. It is someone who is peaceful!
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Lenasia South Africa, 15th April 2012) Lecture: BG 6.30
There is an ultimate cause for things and there is also an immediate cause for things. In the immediate cause for example, let us say that, I woke up and for some reason I have a disagreement with the temple so I take a brick and throw it through the window! We actually had such a situation in one temple during the Sunday feast when suddenly bricks started flying through the glass! The glass splashed all over the temple room and all of the devotees were ducking. We first thought that there was a bomb blast or something. Some hid under the tables. Anyway it turned out that somebody had passed away next door, and they had the body on the table of that house. They felt that:
'That Hare Krishna temple is making so much noise. We have tolerated it everyday, but today, No!'
So they smashed the windows. Anyway so then we ask:
'Who broke the window?'
'The brick? The brick did it. It was the brick. I saw it myself that the brick just broke all the glass.'
Yes that is the immediate cause, but there is also a more remote cause behind. The guy who picked up the brick and threw it. So in the same way there is an immediate cause in this world with so many things!
'The guy just cut me. He just cut me!'
Shake a fist and so on. But if one can see a more remote cause then one can see that:
'I had it coming. By my karma it was due to me, for all the cutting that I had done, I got cut a little bit today.'
That is a more philosophical way of perceiving reality, more so in the remote cause!
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(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Durban South Africa, 4th April 2012) Lecture: Cc Madhya-lila 12-133
Fake it until you make it. So in sādhana-bhakti (devotional service in practise) we are trying to act according to devotional qualities, which we may not have! We try to act humble although we are not yet humble! We try to act enthusiastic although we are not always enthusiastic, and yes, this helps us to develop such qualities, but it is not enough.
The other aspect is the mercy. We need mercy to get these qualities, to actually realise these qualities. So to get real lasting enthusiasm is not only about endeavouring very hard but we also need mercy! And then we may get that lasting enthusiasm! So we must endeavour very enthusiastically and be very eager for the mercy of the vaisnavas and the mercy of the Lord, and in various ways through serving and so on, for any type of mercy. When mercy and endeavour are combined, then we get that realization!
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Durban South Africa, 4th April 2012) Lecture: Cc Madhya-lila 12-133
Madhumangal had a dream a few days ago about Lord Jagannath. Lord Jagannath wanted to go to the temple and so he carried Lord Jagannath on his head and went towards the temple. He wants to know two things. Firstly what does this dream mean? And if Krishna is really present in the dreams?
The first part about what the dream means, well I'm not qualified to explain dreams so you will have to sort that out with someone else. But is Krishna really present? Yes whenever we get a darśana of Krishna, then He is present! Krishna is present in His picture; Krishna is present in His deity form; Krishna is present in His dream form. Whenever we dream of Krishna, then He is present!
The point is there to what extent are we able to perceive that presence? Just like Sri. Sri Radha Radhanath is present but to what extent are we able to perceive their presence? Since we are still conditioned souls, and we may not fully appreciate that the Supreme Lord is on the altar. Otherwise we wouldn't be so casual. So in the same way one may dream about Krishna and Krishna is present but we are not yet fully perceiving the presence of Krishna. So according to our level of advancement we will perceive him differently.
Therefore when great devotees have dreams like when Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami had a dream of Lord Nityananda, then he became so over whelmed with ecstatic emotions, and then Lord Nityananda gave him an instruction. He took that instruction so much to heart that it became a life changing experience!
So that's one way of perceiving Krishna. For him that dream was a full darśana of Krishna! For us we may have such a dream but then life goes on and also with that we struggle with the modes of material nature. I don't know the full import of your dream but it is auspicious to carry Lord Jagannath on your head whilst going to the temple. Why you carried Him to the temple, I really don't know? I can only speculate but I really don't know?
Madhumangal: Inaudible
Maharaja: Why would He want to go to the temple when He is already in the temple, as you seem to ask? Well He also comes out of His temple. The temple is in Vrindavan. He always wants to go to Vrindavan! It's very nice to dream of Krishna, very nice!
Kadamba Kanana Maharaja returned to Europe on Friday (20 April). His first stop was at Munich temple where he spoke at an evening program. Unfortunately, there are no pictures available of that event.
From Munich, he travelled to Switzerland on Saturday. First, he attended the weekly Saturday feast in Langenthal temple (about 90 minutes away from Zurich). Maharaja led a rocking kirtana that completely transcended the Swiss mood of calmness and tranquillity. In the lecture that followed, he focused on Krsna as the ultimate Supreme Lord. After the program, Maharaja proceeded to the Zurich temple.
The next morning, instead of the usual Srimad Bhagavatam class, Maharaja gave initiation to an elderly French-speaking Swiss devotee. In the initiation lecture, Maharaja gave him some valuable instructions where he emphasized that we should regularly, or better still daily, read Srimad Bhagavatam. Maharaja gave him the name Nanda Gopa Dasa.
Later that day, he gave the Sunday class where 20 students, who are engaged in religious studies, attended. Maharaja spoke on how our material identity is created by our identification with various objects in the world, for e.g. our diplomas and degrees, the clothes we wear, the families we descend from and so on. Eventually one has to transcend these wrong identifications or "upadhis" to be successful in our spiritual quest.
On Monday (23 April), Maharaja left the Zurich temple to visit the home of one of his dear disciples, Kesava Madhava Das. He stayed until his departure on Wednesday noon. During that time, he took walks in the Swiss mountains and even went uphill in a cable car. On Tuesday night, there was a program at Kesava Prabhu's home. Maharaja led bhajanas and presented a lecture that could be entitled "all over the universe". After the program, while devotees relished pizza-prasadam, Maharaja started a BB Govinda Maharaja tune which developed into a second sweet kirtana and gave a nice finish to the program.
Maharaja arrived in Radhadesh (Belgium) last night. Many of the disciples have arrived already in anticipation of the official Vyasa Puja celebration which will take place on Sunday, 29 April. It promises to be an exciting weekend ahead with the Queensday Harinama to follow on Monday. Stay tuned for all the nectar.
But for now, enjoy these pictures!
If you cannot view the slide show, just visit flickr!
Here is a variety of recordings of HH Kadamba Kanana Swami from his recent visit to South Africa (04 – 18 April).
Included are Caitanya Caritamrita classes (Durban and Pretoria), Sunday classes (Soweto and Lenasia) as well as an evening class that was given in Ladysmith.
There is also the 2 hour kirtana led by Maharaja during the Kirtana Festival in Durban as well as kirtanas from the Sunday programs in Soweto and Lenasia.
To download the lectures, just right-click on the links and "save target as".
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Durban South Africa, 4th April 2012) Lecture: Cc Madhya-lila 12-133
In the presence of the spiritual master we feel inspired, and in the absence of the spiritual master we are gradually losing our enthusiasm. So what can we do?
When the spiritual master is present, then there are a lot of opportunities to receive direct darśana, and when all these spiritual masters are present (because the spiritual master is not one).
'vande gurūn īśa-bhaktān' (CC Adi 1.1)
These are the first words from the Caitanya-caritāmṛta – worshiping the spiritual masters, there are many and the devotees of the Lord. We get so much inspiration and we are receiving a lot. When we are in the absence of the spiritual master, at that time our connection comes in trying to serve the spiritual master. In his presence we can sit at his feet and we can just relish! In his absence by connecting in service to his instruction. Connecting to his instructions means to serve according to his instructions. So through service we are connecting and then the inspiration will remain strong if we are always connecting in service!
So yes in the absence of the spiritual master we should start thinking:
'What service could I do for him? What could I do that would really please him? There is something that I should do. Something extra I should do!'
By hearing from the spiritual master one knows very well what is pleasing to the spiritual master and ultimately what is the desire of the spiritual master? It's not like a big mystery, because the spiritual master wants to see that every living entity in this entire universe receives the mercy of Krishna! So somehow or other we support that mission in some way or other. So if we do some service like that then immediately we feel very connected and very enlivened, even in his physical absence, there is no absence!
I remember one devotee who was being described in the Lilamtra, and who was in New Vrindavan. At that time when Prabhupada had arrived, they took him over to the third road and they were carrying Prabhupada in the palanquin, and it was heading towards the evening and the devotees had torches and one devotee was feeling:
'Oh, I'm far from Prabhupada, but I want to get close and push through the crowd, to be right next to Prabhupada, but I'm still faraway!'
Because one comes to the spiritual master in service and not in physical proximity!
(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Durban South Africa, 4th April 2012) Lecture: Cc Madhya-lila 12-133
Srila Prabhupada describes how in his youth he was part of a drama performance. He describes how long they rehearsed for this drama, and how he played Advaita Acarya, as well as how much he had to rehearse for this particular drama. He said that when he came on stage people started crying (obviously it is a dramatic moment) but it brought tears to the audience's eyes because they had been rehearsing for so long, so it's like perfected. And Srila Prabhupada describes that:
'Yes such drama must be performed by devotees. They cannot be performed by professional actors! No, no matter how expert they are they will never be able to capture devotional sentiments. Such dramas must be done as an offering of pure devotion and deeply thinking of the personalities.'
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(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Durban South Africa, 4th April 2012) Lecture: Cc Madhya-lila 12-133
The more we are trying to make offerings for the pleasure of Krishna then the more the atmosphere becomes surcharged with ecstasy! One cannot order an ecstatic kirtan. Sometimes the devotees would be asked to perform on television, and then the producers wanted ecstasy. They tried to force them to dance in ecstasy, but ecstasy is not something one can force, or one can act out. Rather, it comes when Krishna is very nicely taken care of!
When we are serving, then Krishna is pleased. The devotees are going out of their way by trying to make an offering to Krishna. So Ratha Yatra is that, since it is a huge offering for the pleasure of Lord Jagannath and everyone is partaking in that, and all our contributions are for that purpose!
(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 13 April 2012, Ladysmith, SA)
In all spiritual traditions, including our own, guilt is something we have to look at. Devotees are failing actually, to be up to their desired standard that they wish to be, 'I know I should be doing this, I know I…I wish I was…I want to…but I just can't.' The spiritual goals are sometimes very high and we struggle to get to this level. So there the element of practice is what helps. By daily and regularly practicing, one builds up a good, regular practice. Then once that is there then one can build further on that. So in this way, spiritual life must be regular. That is one first principle. Just like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught, sankhy-purvaka nama-gana-natibhih, that one should chant the holy name of the Lord regularly on beads. Not just on inspiration, but it should be regular because by this regularity we are building up the good habits. Once a good habit is in place and we are nicely practicing it then we can take on another aspect and another. Then in this way one's spiritual life can progress. Otherwise spiritual life becomes something like New Years Eve, where we take all the big vows, 'and this year I will…' and you know, January 1st comes and if we make it through January 1st we are lucky. So for many also, spiritual is like that, like New Years wishes that somehow or other in everyday reality disappear that, 'it was too high for me.' But spiritually, it's not that certain things are too high for us, it's just that we cannot take the step to the level all at once. There are smaller steps in between that we are taking. And then, when regular practice comes in there then we build something up. So regulation is very important in spiritual life and that takes a certain discipline.
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