Author Archives: Nicole

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 June 2015, Gita Nagari, USA, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.8) Srila Kavi Karnapura, in his Caitanya Candrodaya Nataka, explains how there are two types of devotional service which are: devotional service with nectar and devotional service without nectar. Many get involved in the latter, in devotional service without nectar. But devotional service is not […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 June 2015, Gita Nagari, USA, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.8) This movement is not meant to be a comfort zone. It is not about having a nice-nice spiritual life. “I have such a nice-nice spiritual life. I have such a nice-nice spiritual home with a nice-nice spiritual cat and nice-nice spiritual canary and […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 June 2015, Gita Nagari, USA, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.25.8) At the time of initiation, even if the vows are taken sincerely, how deep is our sincerity? Even in the best scenario, when the disciple from the heart very sincerely says, “I am going to give my life!” How deep is that sincerity anyway!? By […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 June 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, United Kingdom, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.40) Today, I am focusing on mercy, especially the mercy of the spiritual master who is in our life and connecting us with Krsna. I am thinking now of Giriraja das brahmacari, at that time who was in Bombay, fighting the case with […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 12 June 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, United Kingdom, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.18.40) When we look at the temple, here we are in the Bhaktivedanta Manor, we can see that the deities, Radha-Gokulananda, Sita-Rama-Laksman-Hanuman, Gaura-Nitai, are all transcendental. This temple is so much Prabhupada’s headquarters in Europe. It is so much connected with Srila Prabhupada. […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 May 2015, Sydney, Australia, Sunday Feast Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 7.20) The demigods can actually give us what the senses want. It is possible but we should know that all these fruits are temporary! It will be taken away. We will lose it anyway. Whatever we get, whatever we gain, we will lose it. It […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 May 2015, Sydney, Australia, Sunday Feast Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 7.20) We should read the Bhagavad-gita with a certain amount of introspection and a certain amount of reflection. We have to think about it and not just read… “Are you reading Gita?” (Indian accent) “Ah, yes, yes, yes. I am reading Gita too […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 22 May 2015, Cronulla, Australia, Intro to Kirtan) Question: Just wondering, some persons have been chanting for quite some time now and have asked me and I would like to ask you, what sort of symptoms should we see in ourselves if we are really progressing in our attachment to the chanting? If […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 April 2015, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.31-34) The situation of worshipping the husband is a Vedic injunction. In this day and age, it certainly just cannot be written off as irrelevant but on the other hand, the relevance of it really depends on the individual positions of the husband and wife. […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 14 May 2015, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.9.42) Question: Why does maya make it so difficult for the jiva to attain Krsna when Mahaprabhu is wanting to give Krsna prema so easily? Srila Prabhupada was explaining in one lecture which I happened to be listening to three days ago that maya is like the […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: Sexuality and Spirituality) Some people think, “What is it in that food? What do they put inside!? Is there some drug inside maybe?” No. The only thing that is inside, is blessings, the blessings of the Lord. But they are powerful. A life […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1) Up to the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita, we get a description of different types of yoga – karma yoga, jnana yoga and so on. Karma yoga means to work, karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te sańgo ‘stv akarmaṇi (Bhagavad-gita 2.47), […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: Sexuality and Spirituality) Continued from “Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody” We are not speaking out against sexuality but it is not the goal of life. It is not the all-in-all. Even having kids is not the all-in-all. Women especially, may desire a […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: Sexuality and Spirituality) Continued from Childish problems Sometimes, people say “Swamiji, I really like your movement but the chanting… the chanting. Oh, I really do not like the chanting.” Then you do not like this movement because this movement is chanting. It is […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: Sexuality and Spirituality) Continued from Wake up, sleeping souls You know, you fall in love and then you want a child. Yes, it is nice but then you have to think, “What about school? Oh my god, there isn’t the right school for my […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: Sexuality and Spirituality) Continued from Sexual entanglement So now, let us shift to the soul. If we invest in the soul, then we invest in spirituality, in spirit, then we invest less energy into the body and less for the material energy. You […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 03 April 2015, Durban, South Africa, Ratha Yatra Lecture: Sexuality and Spirituality) The body is not offering us just enjoyment alone. Sex, how much does it satisfy… does it fully satisfy… and for how long? Then, we get some by-products and are they wanted? Sometimes they are and sometimes not, right? But […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1) In the thirteenth chapter of Bhagavad-gita, there is an amazing list of pure qualities: amānitvam adambhitvam… (Bhagavad-gita 13.8). One must be free of pride, adambhitvam. One must be very tolerant, amānitvam. Like that, there are many qualities, verses eight to twelve, you […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1) At the end of the eleventh chapter (of Bhagavad-gita), we have all the knowledge and we know there is no other thing to do in life than to surrender to Krsna. But, then comes chapter twelve which is the chapter for the […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1) We can live a natural life in the world but it must be according to what is pleasing to Krsna. It is so simple. We do not have to move out into a cave and all these things. Bhagavad-gita is therefore very […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1) In the third chapter of Bhagavad-gita, Krsna speaks about lust. There are several verses describing lust and how lust is the nitya-vairina (Bhagavad-gita 3.39), the eternal enemy of the living being and how the living being is, somehow or other, caught by […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 March 2015, Pretoria, South Africa, Evening Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 1.1) If we become purified, we can see Krsna otherwise, naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah (Bhagavad-gita 7.25), for the conditioned soul, Krsna remains avrtah, he remains covered. We cannot see him. Even those who are trying to become free from the influence of material nature, […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.23) Srila Prabhupada reached out even in his old age. In the extreme heat in Dehli – I do not know if you have been in Delhi, in the hot season, it is when the brain starts to cook in your skull – Prabhupada just […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2015, Bhaktivedanta Manor, England, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.23) Misers hold on to whatever wealth they have and do not want to share, and the result is they are being deprived. So here we are in Europe, we brought wealth from all over the world. We got it by hook or Captain Cook, […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 16 October 2014, Sydney, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.4.43) It is a blessing to have some good karma. It is a blessing to be detached. It saves you a lot of trouble. It is a shortcut. Such piety is valuable but then we come to the blessings of bhakti – bhakty-unmukhī sukṛti (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 December 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Srimad Bhagavatam 9.19.20) Question: A devotee mentioned that you have to stay on very good terms with your family and maybe compromise many things for them because they are the ones you can depend on. They help you, they are there in a crisis whereas the devotees, you […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 16 October 2014, Sydney, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 7.4.43) Mokṣonmukhī sukṛti (Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.45 Purport) is pious activity that leads to liberation. So we have pious activities like renunciation, austerity and knowledge. These kinds of pious activities liberate us from material entanglement. If one engages a lot in these things, then in […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 December 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Evening Lecture) It is interesting that Prabhupada was not a temple devotee! Prabhupada was that nice Mr De from the congregation. (Indian accent) He used to give nice donations for Janmastami. Also, he would play mrdanga. That was a nice thing. This Mr De, he was […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 23 December 2014, Cape Town, South Africa, Evening Lecture) There is always mercy to give to people, at work also. Some people are such good preachers, it is amazing. Just like in London, there is this Chinese lady and she sometimes comes to see me off at the airport and then she starts […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 October 2014, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.3.18) There was a pujari in Mayapur, in the early days, worshipping Radha Madhava. He was a grhasta; he had a family and a few children. One day, he went to an astrologer and an astrologer who looked at his chart and his palm and he […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 October 2014, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.3.18) Krsna protects his devotees, even if unknowingly, some impurity slips into our life. One year in Vrndavan, His Holiness Sridhar Maharaj gave the Bhagavatam class and during that class, at one point, he begins, “I feel that I have to speak. For a long […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 10 October 2014, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 10.10.2014) Krsna is always our well-wisher. Always! No matter what happens, always! Therefore, never become angry with Krsna. That is a mistake. That is a great mistake! We are small just like here in this temple room, on this floor, there are squares and everyone […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 13 April 2013, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Srimad Bhagavatam 5.1.33) To our book distributors, I would like to say this. When you are distributing books on the street, it is tough because people are not waiting for you. They did not come out to the streets to buy books. They came for another reason and […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program) The stories of Brahmananda show incredible surrender. Are we ready to just take an order, no matter what? That is why I am saying that when we read this, hear this, and when we meet Brahmananda then we see so much love for Prabhupada […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 20 June 2014, Stockholm, Sweden, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.75) If sometimes, we feel a little dry in our Krsna consciousness – if sometimes we feel that chanting is good but difficult, if we feel like reading but we fall asleep, if we just feel, “What to do now?” then let us just […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program) Harikesh was very smart, very intelligent. So when they were smuggling books behind the Iron Curtain, they had two vans that were exactly the same. One van would drive over the border, out of the East Bloc, empty and then they would change the […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program) Two years ago in Vrindavan, there was a devotee from a South American background who asked Brahmananda, “Brahmananda, in the early days with Prabhupada, it was very intimate, very close with only few devotees, but later it became a bigger movement. Do you feel […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program) Another story that I have about Brahmananda – once in Vrindavan, Madhudvisa, another sannyasi, arranged that a picture would be taken. This picture was a group photo of devotees in ISKCON and Madhudvisa organized it all, with everybody nicely in the right position. Brahmananda […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program) Brahmananda was telling stories in Vrndavan and I was listening to those. He was ill and Prabhupada did not like it. Prabhupada was saying like, “How can you be ill? How can you be ill?” “I am just ill.” “You are always ill.” He […]

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 29 September 2014, Pretoria, South Africa, House Program) There are many stories to tell of Brahmananda. In the early days, Brahmananda became Prabhupada’s trusted representative. His nature was that he was completely surrendered to Prabhupada’s desire. Whatever Prabhupada would say, he would do it. I think if any quality is outstanding in […]