Posted: 31 Dec 2011 01:00 PM PST

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Mayapur, November 2011) Lecture – Caitanya-caritamrta Part 4

Sanatana Goswami is meeting all the vaisnavas from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for the first time. He has met Mahaprabhu in Benares and he has been instructed by Him, but he didn't meet all of Mahaprabhu's associates. Now for the first time, he meets Mahaprabhu's associates. When he sees them, he offers obeisances to them. They give him honour, friendship and mercy, which is really interesting.

They give him honour for his qualifications. They give him friendship, but also mercy because they have that association of the Lord, and therefore they can also give that mercy. It is very interesting as to how that relationship exists and how it is in a refined way…….and showing how vaisnava relationship is about, which is based on honour, friendship and mercy!

From light to darkness

Posted: 31 Dec 2011 02:26 AM PST

(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 29 December 2011, Munich, Germany)We are coming from South Africa- from summer into winter. I'm not sure what is worse- the cold or the darkness! It's so dark, shew! What a shock, coming from all that bright light and the sun and the early mornings… so that is only a comparison between Africa and Europe. Can one imagine coming from the effulgence of the spiritual world into the darkness of the material world? How dense is the darkness of the material world! How thick are the layers of ignorance! How much is the living being covered by layers of forgetfulness! And we, who are somehow or other awoken to Krsna consciousness, can be compared to a clouded sky which sometimes has a little hole in the deck of clouds which appears and a little beam of light enters through, before the hole is again covered by a grey cloud…How deep is our Krsna consciousness…?

European kirtana fever hits SA

Posted: 31 Dec 2011 01:35 AM PST

Harinama – A powerful preaching tool in South Africa

In order to promote the December book marathon in South Africa, HH Kadamba Kanana Swami invited 3 stalwart sankirtana devotees from the Czech Republic to tour the country with him during his recent visit there. These devotees were Vishnujana, Gourakaruna and Prahlad; each uniquely talented in their service.

Vishnujana is the drummer of the team and is expert in getting people to chant and dance; he is what you would call the 'life of the party'. Gourakaruna is the flamboyant book distributor with a specially tailored bicycle that he carries around the world with him. This bicycle is equipped with a bag of books, a pair of kartalas, a vuvuzela (a traditional African horn), boxes of incense and is adorned with a flag of Hanuman. It bears resemblance to a transcendental chariot. Prahlad is the kirtana leader and accordion player who sings beautiful melodies continuously for hours.

The devotees traveled from Pretoria to Durban and then to Cape Town. In each of these cities, they would go out daily to the surrounding areas doing harinama and distributing books all day. In Durban, they aligned forces with HH Mahavishnu Swami and rocked the crowds at the beach. In Cape Town, they attracted hundreds of tourists in the city centre and thousands of locals on the beach with the Holy Name. Apart from their independent endeavours, they participated in many programs with Kadamba Kanana Swami and spiced-up the lively nature of the kirtanas.

It was a wonderful month exhibiting the pastimes of Lord Caitanya. Mercy was distributed freely and without discrimination. Here are some photos and videos displaying these adventures however they do not do justice in capturing the true spirit of these glorious sankirtana warriors!

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā harih

Enjoy!

Harinama in Hammanskraal

Beach Harinama in Durban Part I

Beach Harinama in Durban Part II

MVSwami on stage

Shop Harinama Part I

Shop Harinama Part II

More Harinama

Ecstatic MVSwami Tune

Harinama in Cape Town

Can’t view the slidehow below? Just visit flickr!