Trusting Krishna - Our Best Friend!

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012)

Even devotees seem to go through heavy things.  Devotees die.  Yes, but Krsna is there on the other side.  He's waiting for them. "Yes, come! Come with Me, now!" So for a devotee, death is no problem.  No problem because Krsna is there.  So Krsna will come.  Krsna will arrange.  He will protect us.  So we must trust in Krsna.  Krsna will protect us.  He's bhakta vatsala, so there is no need to be afraid. Krsna is all good, so if somehow or the other we can come to the point where we can accept in our heart that Krsna is all good, then we can become free of fear.  Oh when, oh when, oh when will that day come?

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012) We have to trust that Krsna is good.  He is all good.  Yes, so we have to slowly trust Krsna, that He is kindness personified, that He is always merciful, and that He sends His devotees the best.  Exactly what we need, even if He puts us in front of a firing squad, it's exactly what we need. Krsna is good.  He is all good.  He is very kind, completely merciful.  He sends us only what we need. We deserve it because we are rascals – big rascals!  Therefore He sends us only a diminished reaction for our purification. But it is all His mercy, so there is no reason to fear.  Krsna will always protect us.  Even if there are difficulties, a devotee always comes out victorious.

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012) There are many reasons why we fear. "Oh Krsna, please don't let me suffer!  Oh Krsna, please give me some happiness!  I promise to chant Hare Krsna as long as You give me some happiness.  Please, if You so desire." And we have ideas about what that happiness is.  But we are like pieces on a chess board – standing on a little square and looking around and thinking, 'That looks good! That's where I want to be, on that square!' But we cannot see what Krsna's plan is, because He's the player.  And suddenly this big hand comes from the sky, takes us by the hand, and puts us somewhere in totally unexpected situations.  There is no point in trying to control, so we have to trust. (HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Modra, Slovakia, 16 July 2012) Prabhupada said Krsna is our best friend.  Krsna is our best friend, a better friend than any friend in this world.  Prabhupada said why – because Krsna will never disappoint you. Someone from this world will disappoint you.  Even if they want to help you, which is not sure, can they help you?  Even if they want to help you, which is not sure, the question is, can they help you?  It's like that in this world – often we are helpless.  Your friends are helpless, there is nothing we can do.  That is the nature of the material world. But somehow or the other, we don't have much desire to go to the spiritual world.  That's really what is going on. "Yeah, yeah, Krsna is my best friend in a way, but in another way, my best friend is someone I can talk to.  Someone who is sitting next to me.   I can throw flowers at him.  I can talk to him if I want to." Whereas, you know, throwing flowers at Krsna!!!  Carefully, at His feet, maybe!  Respectfully, whereas with your friend, you can just offer it in different ways.  Anyway, to develop this friendship with Krsna may take some time.

Krishna's Mercy - Suffering better than Material Enjoyment :)

Devotee: Maharaja, you were saying that Krishna might take away some of our reactions if He so desires. I was wondering if He would also give more reactions for our purification?

HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaja: Yeah, Krishna can do whatever He wants. He is completely independent. So, if Krishna desires then sometimes a devotee may go through some difficulty, even if there is no karma involved at all!
Sometimes Krishna puts His devotees in difficulties because Krishna desires to glorify His devotees. Sometimes He wants to show that even in difficulties they still perfectly take shelter of devotional service and in this way, they become examples for common men! So yes, sometimes Krishna sends difficulties to His devotees, even though there is no karma to deserve such difficulties.

It is said in the story of Vrtrasura that sometimes Krishna is sending difficulties especially to His most dedicated devotees… many difficulties to purify them very quickly, so that they can go back to Godhead! So like this, whenever any suffering comes our way, then we should always remember Krishna’s mercy! Sometimes it’s a little difficult, but it is true actually. If we are getting experiences of suffering then we become purified… but if we are getting circumstances of material enjoyment then we become tempted.
So, from a spiritual point of view, material enjoyment is worse than suffering. From the absolute point of view, suffering is better. It is a little difficult to see that on a practical platform. But material enjoyment is very dangerous, because we may become compromised, and as a result, we become more entangled in the material energy which slows down our progress towards going back to Godhead!

Whereas when we suffer, then: ‘Yes, I want to chant Hare Krishna.’

So from an absolute point of view, suffering is better than material enjoyment.

Reading Srimad Bhagavatam

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 11th May 2012, Sydney, Australia) Lecture: House programme

(Transcribed by Smita Krishna Devi Dasi)

We have to hear from Srimad Bhagavatam. If we don't hear, then how can we enjoy in our spiritual life?
And this is the one thing nobody does somehow or other – that part reading. When was the last time we were reading one of those books? In some houses it's still in original plastic! What can we say? It's just one of those things, and then if we do read it's usually on facebook. So I don't know what you get from there. But it's exactly there in Srimad Bhagavatam that we can have the vision and sooner or later if we want to get serious about spiritual life and if we want to survive then it has to come from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Sanatana Goswami when he was only quite young (still a boy but old enough) then one night he had a dream and in the dream, one brahmana came and offered him Srimad Bhagavatam. So he was quite happy because in those days it was quite rare. Srimad Bhagavatam had to be hand copied; some brahamanas had to hand copy the whole manuscript, huge manuscripts. So most brahmanas would go for the Bhagavad-Gita or something shorter. There were not many manuscripts of the Bhagavatam around, so then in his dream the brahamana gave him Srimad Bhagavatam and he was in ecstasy and then he woke up from the dream.
So that very day, the same brahmana came to his house and gave him Srimad Bhagavatam. That really was something mystic, since he dreamt about it before and then he got it. It was not just someone gave him the Bhagavatam. So he took it very seriously. So this story is found in the 'Bhakti-Ratnakara,' which is a very interesting book because it gives a lot of history of our movement from just after Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and something about six Goswamis, Narottama Das Thakura, Srivasa Acharya and Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami who lived very long time. Like that Bhakti-Ratnakara is a book to read.

How to let the weakness disappear?

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Radhadesh, Belgium, 29th April 2012) Lecture: Vyasa Puja 2012

I must say that I’ve lost a few people on the way. Let’s not do that, let’s just stay close and let’s work it out. There is a way to be Krishna conscious without sacrificing your individual nature! But we all have to grow. Our weakness has to disappear. We have to grow stronger. There is a program, which is suitable for everyone, and because we have experience then we can help in making the program and saying what does and doesn’t go.

So there is no need to turn away, since we have to have faith, like I said this morning that:

‘Krishna will help.’

We are not alone with our mind and our senses. Sometimes you think:

‘Oh my God! How much longer can I tolerate this? This mind and these senses are just too much! How much longer can I deal with this? I don’t know? I mean maybe I should just give up.’

That forbidden thought of giving up does not come into our mind in spiritual life – it does, since it will occur in the mind of everybody. Everyone sometimes has the thought:

‘Maybe just quit the whole thing.’

So what can we say about that? Therefore we have to have this closeness, and friendship as well as togetherness!

To get into that mood of absorption!

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Soweto South Africa, 15th April 2012) Lecture: CC Talk

 

How do we connect or, better relate to the previous acaryas like the Goswamis?

The Goswamis would be absorbed in hearing and chanting. They were not interested in material

 things and would put their energy into spiritual things – we can take that principle. We may not be

 on the level where we forget to eat and sleep. I don’t have that problem. I never forget to eat and

 sleep. It hasn’t happened yet! So that we cannot imitate but definitely we can take that mood 

where we say: All right lets get absorbed in hearing and chanting about Krishna.

That is the juice and they are the living proof! They were so ecstatic that they went deep, and they


 became so ecstatic. Therefore we can take inspiration from them.

Why is the guru so heavy?

The etymological meaning of the word ‘guru’ is heavy. So there is some personality sitting on the vyasasana and he is a heavy dude:
‘Okay guys, get your act together! With all this sense gratification, you are just attached to material things! When are you going to get serious in Krishna Consciousness?’
Is that the meaning of a guru being heavy? Sometimes, maybe but not necessarily. The meaning of guru being heavy – is that the guru is so ultimately heavy that you cannot move him from his position, since he stays fixed at the Lotus Feet of Krishna and that’s why he’s so heavy! I mean all others are light…so light that sometimes just shake him on the path, or sometimes a little push like a boat which has been put out of its course by the wind.
But the spiritual master is heavy and he is there at the Feet of Krishna – as time goes by he hasn’t changed, since he’s still there: still serving Krishna; still talking about Krishna; still chanting Hare Krishna and so many things have happened:
‘I mean, oh Lord I didn’t see you for a long time. So many things have happened!’
‘And in the cause of that, what about Krishna?’
‘Yeah I’m still into that but things have changed a bit.’
But for the spiritual master nothing has changed, completely nothing! Just the same and that is a great relief to know that there is someone who is still just doing it! Or there is someone who is still a devotee, and is still chanting Hare Krishna; someone who just didn’t change and that we find shelter at his lotus feet. It’s not about:
‘Is he the greatest intellectual on the planet? He can quote more verses than anybody else!’– maybe not.
‘Can he explain the most complicated philosophy? Does he know the most stories?’
‘My guru is senior to your guru, because he was a very close associate of Prabhupada, whilst your guru had joined much later!’
‘No, but my guru had spent longer in Vrindavan and that is why he is more rasic than your guru.’
‘My guru is an eternal associate of Lord Caitanya, Prabhupada said!’
‘Well you know, my guru knows the entire Bhagavad-Gita by heart!’
Okay that is very nice I guess with this one it speaks for itself – this is kindergarten, and that’s all I will say about this. We are not taking these things too seriously. So it’s not the external:
‘My guru is skinny.’
‘Well mine is fat.’

It doesn’t matter since it is mentioned that, one should not judge the spiritual master by his external appearance. One should see that he is firmly fixed onto the Lotus Feet of Krishna, and therefore by connecting with him, then we will also be fixed, because he is always there. Anytime we connect to him then we are also automatically connecting to the Lotus Feet of Krishna! We are connecting to the spiritual master and before you know it okay then you are going to be doing something for Krishna! It is like that because all his activities are connected to Krishna. He’s joking and he is laughing with you and just playing around but before you know it (with all the playing and the joking) you are doing service for Krishna and that’s what’s happening, because he is on the way to Krishna!

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami

Krishna knows it!

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, 31st March 2012, Cape Town, South Africa) Lecture: SB 7.15.26

The Supreme Lord is omniscient. He is present everywhere. He knows everything. The Supreme Lord knows everything that goes on in the heart of every living being. He knows the thoughts of every creature! Image that, it is a lot of thoughts, and He can also separate them all and he can keep track. Imagine that everyone’s thoughts which is mixing and we would really get confused and think:
‘Who’s thinking what?’
But the Supreme Lord is omniscient, all knowing!

Happiness in Suffering!

(Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, 7 April 2012, Durban, SA)
When Krsna gives us austerity by taking things away, it is Krsna’s arrangement to make us stronger. So Krsna tests us to give us the strength. The suffering in this world is in the design. Why is there suffering in the world? It is exactly for that purpose- to force us to become stronger and we can grow. When Krsna takes things away, we should not think that, ‘oh, now He is punishing me! Oh, now I’m being tested! Oh, why do I have to go through all these difficulties?’ No, we should think that Krsna wants me to grow and He’s forcing me to go through these difficulties but it would make me stronger. So actually the struggle in this world is Krsna’s blessing upon us. If there was no suffering in this world, imagine what it would be like…it would just be a little empty. No suffering but just a little empty because there would be no spiritual ecstasy. Maybe we would feel comfortable but then we will feel bored and empty and we wouldn’t feel so motivated. But when we suffer, then we have to do something about it. So the suffering is an impetus to give us strength and as we are working on a solution, we gain strength and with that strength we come up. That is what Krsna wants from us; Krsna doesn’t want us cheaply but Krsna wants us with quality. And therefore Krsna gives us tests so that we can grow. So that’s His blessing…

Everything belongs to Krishna!

HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, Melbourne, Australia, October 2011)
(Transcribed by Smita Krishna Devi Dasi)


At the time of initiation, we are receiving diksa or transcendental knowledge. Such transcendental knowledge means that we understand that:
‘bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ’, (Bg 7.19).
After many life times, we come to the point where we actually realise that Krishna is everything and that the ultimate goal of life is Krishna. So it’s very rare, ‘ sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ’. ‘Su-durlabhaḥ’ means very rare.
It is said, that mostly the living entities are busy with the material energy and they are trying to milk the material energy in various ways and get some benefit from the material energy and that is really what every one is doing in the world. Some are doing it in pious ways, by following the direction of the scriptures. Others are doing it in an impious way, but mostly people are hoping for material happiness therefore ‘bahūnāṁ’,its very rare that someone comes to this point to understand that Krishna is the real goal of life and actually everything is meant for Krishna.

It’s logical because everything was created by Krishna, He is Isvara-parama Krishna. He is the origin of everything and therefore naturally, we are returning to Him what belongs to Him, just like sometimes we take bath in the Ganga and we scoop up some water from there and offer it back to Ganga because the Ganga is pure. So we want to make pure offering, and therefore we are offering Gangajal to Ganga. Like this, we are offering to Krishna what belongs to Him already!

Everything, even our bodies are also Krishna’s energy, yes – everything in this world belongs to Krishna – including our very bodies, including our children, our house, including all our possessions!
Therefore, everything is meant to be used for Krishna. We ourselves, of course, need to live. we need residence for the shelter, we need to eat and so on, but we are doing that all on behalf of Krishna. One should eat only remnants of what is offered to the Lord only that which is left over from yagna, no other things a devotee will take. It says because otherwise one gets involve in sinful reactions because whatever is the consciousness of the cook, will affect whatever is eaten and subsequently, it will effect our consciousness and thus, new material desires will be born.

Therefore we are careful in our eating, we are careful that our house is Krishna’s house and that we are in that house and only doing things that are favourable to Krishna. So that is what it means!

The one thing not bound by Time!

Everything is bound by time, but the maha mantra is eternal. So many things change in our life and it’s just amazing what can change but somehow or other this chanting never changes. It’s constant and is always there because the name Krsna is Krsna Himself, who descends from the spiritual world and who’s not bound by time. Therefore this is the one constant thing in life that stays and everything else may crumble with time. But this doesn’t crumble. Rather, every time we chant the mantra, it will never be lost and at each time we chant the Hare Krsna mantra it piles on top of each other and just builds up and in this way our chanting will just gain in strength, in depth and gradually it will take over everything. At that stage one becomes transcendental.

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami (March 2012)

To reach the visuddha-sattva stage (Platform of Pure Goodness)

The lower modes of material nature are particularly entangling us, more and more in the material energy. It is said that the mode of ignorance are those kinds of activities, which are detrimental to a person’s progress. Activities of laziness; eating things that are not edible; sleeping more then required; dreaming, illusion, madness; lack of cleanliness; dishonesty and anger – these are all symptoms of ignorance.
So tama-guna in that way is damaging. Raja-guna is a state where we are always eager to enjoy. We are always eager to manipulate things for our enjoyment. This is rajas. So one should not think that:

‘To be very active is rajas’.
When one is very active in devotional service, then we should not say:
‘Why are you so passionate?’
That’s not passionate, since it means that we have this desire to enjoy. To be active in devotional service is very favourable, and to be eager, very alert to serve and take every opportunity to serve is exactly what we require! Not that we become so much in goodness:
‘This is service is too passionate for me.’
That is actually passion because, then we want to enjoy the service:
‘I enjoy this type of service but not that type of service.’

No, service is as is required. So the mode of goodness means that we are simply prepared to be humble, to be an instrument and to be a servant, in a real sense, and to work for the benefit of Krishna – His mission and His vaisnava and so on. The gradually one can reach the ‘visuddha-sattva’ stage. ‘Visuddha-sattva’ is the stage when one is not interested in personal form of enjoyment, but one naturally becomes peaceful.
Vasudeva the father of Krishna is described as the embodiment of that state, of pure goodness. Sometimes the state of Vasudeva is synonymous with pure goodness. It’s that consciousness of pure goodness of Vasudeva and Krishna which has manifested Himself in that consciousness. So importance is that when the heart has become purified, then Krishna can enter, and then He can be seated within the heart. Then one can live in that worship and in the service of Krishna all the time. Then our chanting also becomes enlivening experience instead of a struggle!

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami

How to go back to Godhead in this life?

In the present time one could think that:
‘This Vedic traditional knowledge has now come to the west, and western people are trying to take up eastern ways, and that maybe difficult!’
Sacinandana Maharaja tells a story of when his father met Srila Prabhupada. His father was an intelligent man. He was the director of the German railways. So his father asked Prabhupada:
‘What chance does a crocodile have to survive in the rein? A crocodile is out of his natural environment when you put him in the rein. How can he survive there? So you are making all these young people wear eastern dresses and take up eastern culture, but what chance do they have to survive?’
Well, he was partially right, it was difficult to survive. Therefore scriptures are making the same point again and again:
‘It’s through the association of devotees, that one will remain protected!’
It is only in the association of the devotees. Take the trouble to go and meet the devotee. Somehow or other be with the devotees again and again, and that is prerequisite. So one who has transcendental knowledge is protected but one must act on it, and that is the Vedic definition of intelligence – not only one who has knowledge but one who also acts upon it.
One who has knowledge but does not act upon it, is considered to be a ‘Sudra.’ So we must be very careful to take advantage, because I have said that in the Bhagavad-Gita, it is mentioned that the unsuccessful yogi is taking birth again. So sometimes the thought comes to our mind when we are thinking of all of us:
‘How many of us were unsuccessful yogis in the last life? And what went wrong?’
Sometimes you look at the devotees now, and sometimes you think:
‘Well, you already see how the next life is sort of coming!’
So we must be careful. It’s such a special opportunity, so we really should not miss it!
You should not think:
‘Oh, well if I don’t go back to Godhead in this life, then I’ll go somewhere else in life.’
It could take a while. So the aim is in this life, which really is the best!

Realizing Transcendental Knowledge - Dilemma of a Devotee

(H H Kadamba Kanana Swami, Prague, Czech Republic, 15th March 2012) 
Lecture: SB.4.9.6


It’s one thing to hear everything, but how can you actually realise it? So Sanatana Goswami was very much aware of the dilemma of a devotee. We are receiving divya-jnana – transcendental knowledge, but how can you realise it within the heart? That is the lifetime challenge that we are facing!
Time is passing by and still we have not realised this knowledge within the heart, and life itself is testing us! Life itself is bringing all kinds of circumstances. Sometimes unexpected promise of happiness; suddenly everything looks like spring – fresh and very light and effulgent, you never expected it. It came so late in life:
‘Maybe I’ll be happy after all, even if it’s not eternal. But maybe just for a little while.’


Anyway, shortly after that, one comes back to reality – the reality of the material world. One takes birth and cries. One grows old and dies! So like that the material world is not a place where life is so wonderful! Dhruva Maharaja experienced it at a young age but he didn’t have the full realization. The realization that there is no point in trying to create happiness in the material world. Again and again we try:
‘Okay maybe it didn’t work for 27,583 times but maybe it’s going to work on the 27584 time. You never know, it is possible!’


In this way the living being is full of hope. You know that there is no hope! But they are still hoping: ‘No we will be happy!’ It didn’t happen to the neighbours and any of our relatives, but somehow or other it will surely happen to us. I’m sure, and I feel it. So like this we are very inspired!

Chanting means being with Krishna!

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12th March 2012, New York) Lecture: SB 3.31.45-46

You may know the story about the pope who came to Vrindavan. He was meeting the devotees and at one point the phone rang and the pope said:
‘I have to take this. This call is very important.’
He took the call. He spoke, and it became quite clear that he was speaking to God! There’s a whole discussion going on the line, and a devotee said:
‘Oh, can I also for a moment just speak to Him for a second?’
‘Yes, no problem,’ said the pope. ‘ But don’t speak for too long as it’s a long distance call.’
Later on the devotee’s phone rang and then he spoke to God and the pope said:
‘Hey, you have one too!’
‘Yeah.’
‘Can I?’
‘Sure, sure no problem. Speak as long as you want since it’s a local call!’
It’s a whole story but there is some truth in that. We have closeness, very close, by serving Him constantly. Therefore living in a temple is so nice because you are living with Krishna! Or chanting the holy name is so nice because the name is Krishna! So He is here. He is completely here! It’s not like, ‘It’s a prayer.’
‘What is this chanting?’
‘It’s a prayer.’
‘Oh, is it a prayer?’
‘Yes, it’s prayer where we can communicate with God!’
I mean, that is a poor explanation! Well, excuse me, a prayer? It’s like we have just reduced the chanting into a prayer. We are right there with Krishna! He is with us. Just chant, He is here. His presence is here. You can feel it; you can experience it; you can sense it! Something is there. So just like that we are associating with Krishna and in this way it is not difficult or artificial to develop a relationship with Krishna.

Developing a Relationship with Krishna

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12th March 2012, New York) Lecture: SB 3.31.45-46


In the beginning our relationship is about what we are getting from Krishna, but later it becomes what we are giving to Krishna! Even in the beginning if we act it out:
‘Yes. Yes, I understand that He is not our order supplier. We should not pray to Him for our daily bread – no. We should only serve Him.’
But even while we are only serving Him, we are thinking all of the time:
‘What am I getting? Am I getting any ecstasy? Oh, Krishna please lift me above my misery. Oh, pull me out of this horrible material conditioned state of consciousness that I’m faced with everyday. Krishna please give me a drop of Your mercy!’

So we are very much thinking about what we are getting, even when we are trying to be selfless, but gradually that changes. That comes from making a sacrifice in service. If one wants to make that breakthrough to a point where we begin to become more focused on the pleasure of Krishna, then one has to put in substantial time, and make substantial sacrifice in the service of Krishna, which is important! Devotional service may start very casually but gradually it has to capture us and we have to really put in:
‘prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā,’ (SB.10.22.35)

We have to put in all our energy. We have to put in all that we have – like our possessions, our intelligence, and totally think of how e are we going to do it? It has to totally absorb us, and we have to chant to glorify Krishna. So in this way through:
‘prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā,’ (SB.10.22.35), then we can get to this other level where we are drawn to Krishna. Where we are eager to please Krishna!

Chanting Japa

When you are alone and chant the Hare Krishna maha mantra – a simple japa all by yourself (early in the morning) then you are confronted with the naked truth – the one who you really are, and the love that you really have for Krishna. Or the love that you don’t have for Krishna is going to be very obvious.
It is either Rupa Goswami:
‘Krishna is dancing on my tongue…………………… ‘
Or it is:
‘Oh my God. Oh my Lord these sixteen rounds that I have to chant, feel like millions of more. Every minute of chanting feels like a day of Brahma! Oh my Lord will I ever finish my rounds?’
And when we are not chanting our rounds then we are counting our rounds, and the most ecstatic moment is the magic moment….like the moment of:

‘Ping…sixteen done! Okay thank God I’ve finished my rounds.’
So there are different of levels for chanting. When we are in japa then we are thrown back on ourselves. No longer can we hide in the crowd! No longer can we borrow the enthusiasm of others! Now, we simply have to do it ourselves – alone, turn to Krishna. The mind freaks out:
‘Help! I can’t do this!’
But actually we go before Krishna. We glorify Krishna and in this way realising that actually there is nothing…..nothing as valuable as that….nothing in the world. This is it…..this is really it, the most important thing ; the most wonderful thing; the most desired thing. This is the one thing that we have been waiting for – the all in all now that we are chanting japa.

So in this way we can try and meditate and gradually realise this. So by anchoring ourselves deeply, in our own conviction. Then we can face the world….let the world crumble……let with everything we have let it go – what does it matter? We have Krishna. And what in this world that can capture us that is so wonderful! Then we have Krishna in this way by deep chanting name after name, again and again!

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami

Deep Inner Satisfaction

The name of Krsna is invested with all the energies of Krsna Himself and by chanting this Name one can attain all perfection in life (Sanskrit), One can experience unlimited happiness!

Everyone in this world is in need of spiritual life – some people know it, some people don’t, but it is a fact:
We see so much unrest.
We see that people are not peaceful.
We see that in this world there is a lot of anxiety.
A lot of insecurity- because people are not satisfied within themselves.
If everyone was simply satisfied within themselves, then there would be no difficulty.

This chanting of the Hare Krsna Mahamantra can give people deep inner satisfaction. This satisfaction is higher than anything in the world and brings one to the point of no longer depending on so many external things.
All this can be tasted within the chanting of the Holy Names.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami 24/01/2010)

 

How do we develop Faith?

Devotee: How do we develop faith?

Maharaja: We develop faith by coming in contact with an extraordinary person, like Prabhupada automatically creates faith. We read his books and faith develops. He is teaching and he is living it …and showing the symptoms of extraordinary happiness, which is very convincing. So like that a great devotee becomes the root of our faith. But then we need to have a broad basis of faith. Just like a tree with many roots. So as we are prodding with the basis, like you can see in my talk that I am trying broaden the basis and trying of show how Lord Caitanya’s movement had come, with filling in background information just to create more roots in that way. When we have many roots that have faith….many many roots, then it is very strong!

So therefore, we now have to deepen our relationship with Srila Prabhupada, who is our ācārya. For better understanding we have to connect with him better, and then we have to broaden our knowledge by gaining more knowledge about Krishna; more knowledge about bhakti; more knowledge about the great devotees from the past, and all these things will add more roots, and will also increase our faith! And then we become so strong just like Srila Prabhupada, and even when we are alone (the only devotee in the world!) still we go on. Prabhupada was alone in the jungle of New York, alone – the only one, everyone else is on the go. So like that our faith deepens like a tree with many roots!

(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 4th March 2012, New York) Lecture: Caitanya-caritāmrta, Adi-lila 9.37

Does God Exist?

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Cape Town, SA, 19th Dec 2011) Lecture – SB 7.13.46


When the atheists are coming up and looking for arguments to prove that God doesn’t exist, and they are just trying to find the arguments. It’s a difficult thing, since coming up with arguments is not so simple…you have to think about coming up with arguments. I have to rack my brain for coming up with some arguments. So that is how it is, since you do not just think about it.

So the atheists are thinking and thinking and trying to come up with arguments to deny the existence of God. And then again, suddenly:

‘Idea! Idea…. that’s a good one! That’s a great argument, that God doesn’t exist.’
But, where did he get the argument? And it suddenly popped up in his brain. So who gave it to him? Krishna. So Krishna gave him the argument to help him forget Krishna! That’s what it is. So if we want to forget Krishna, then Krishna will help us! So the whole world is covered over. Long ago they wanted to forget God:
‘We don’t need Him anymore. We used to, but now we don’t need Him anymore because we have our machines, technology and we don’t need to pray anymore.’

But we used to, when people were helpless with the forces of nature. Other then that, just look at the wind the other day, and with the rain. Just turn on the speed of those window wipers, and keep on driving. It doesn’t really affect our life anymore. Previously if you lived very simple then (and when the roof is shaking in the wind) and then everybody would get down on their knees and pray:
‘Oh Lord…. oh Lord please let the roof stay on our house!’

 All our modern machines and so on…. we don’t pray anymore. People used to pray for rain, but now you turn on the pump. Just turn on the pump to start irrigation – it’s ridiculous. If it’s really bad then we see the clouds. We go up in the plane and throw all the chemicals into the clouds, and then it will rain…. no problem, we can make it rain very easily.

I heard that when the Chernobyl explosion had happened, that there was this huge radioactive cloud and it was heading towards Moscow. The Russian army came with planes and they seared those clouds and the rain came down, long before it reached Moscow! Such things are going on:
‘So why do we need God for? We can take care of ourselves!’

Says the jiva, but that is illusion. We understand since how long does it last? So any devotee can see through that. We can see now that we depend on Krishna very much so. Without Krishna we cannot be successful:

‘tatra śrīr vijayo bhūtir,’ (Bg 18.78)
With Krishna there will be good fortune and there will be victory, without any doubt, and that is Krishna the Supreme Lord. Like Arjuna who won the battle of, Kurukṣetra. Although he was not the most powerful warrior – but he won! He was powerful undoubtedly, but still others were more powerful but he defeated them with the help of Krishna. So we can also do this, and we certainly have to use our own ability with the help of Krishna. With the help of Krishna then only can one be successful in life and attain perfect happiness!

Engaging our Senses for Krishna! :)

Srila Prabhupada told us to engage our senses in practical services – our senses in dealing with the material energy, because we are so absorbed in the material energy:
“Ok, I can drive for Krishna. Yes… driving I can do for Krishna!”
It’s like I can do so many things for Krishna! Yes so spiritual life is like that!

- HH Kadamba Kanana Swami