(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 19 January 2014, Durban, South Africa, Lecture)
Lord Krsna is our eternal companion. Anywhere and everywhere, Krsna is always with us! It is said that in many ways Krsna is with us. Krsna is present in the material world as the paramatma. Dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā, (Śvetāśvatara Upanishad 4.6). There are two birds seated on branches of a tree – one of those birds is the living being and the other bird is the Supreme Lord in the form of paramatma who is there along with the living being and never, ever leaves him for a moment.
In many ways Krsna is there, after all not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord:
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate (Bhagavad-gita 9.10)
For everything in this universe, know that I am the cause of this and that everything is going on by my will alone. So in this way, Krsna is also with us because no matter what happens to us, we can see that it is Krsna’s plan. Nothing is going on by chance or by good luck, by bad luck or tough luck, “Oh boy, why is this happening to me?” No, Krsna is there.
Then the next step may be to say, “Krsna, why are you doing this to me?” But that is not very humble. That is an attitude where we think, “I got it all figured out. I am supposed to be happy here (in this material world) and Krsna who is in control of everything, is not cooperating!” This attitude is not one of worshiping at all. It is an attitude where we are demanding – who is the Lord and who is whose servant? Then we treat Krsna as our order supplier and we are demanding from Krsna.
But who said that the material world was meant for happiness anyway. The material world has only one purpose – for us to learn, for us to simply learn and grow. It has no other purpose at all and if you want another purpose out of it, it does not work. All that you get from life is that you learn a lesson and grow. That is what grey hairs are all about…
Krsna is making arrangements to elevate us; that is his purpose. His purpose is to lift up all living beings. Somehow or other, we have gone down in selfishness; we have gone down in a mood of exploitation. Oh yes, everyone is exploiting someone else – that is the name of the game. The living being is trying to exploit the entire universe; that is our preoccupation.
Krsna’s purpose is indeed to make us humble, to bring us to the point of man-mana bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yaji mam namaskuru (Bhagavad-gita 9.34), where we bow down. One has to bow down; bowing down means to give up our pride. It is said that a tree that is laden with fruits will naturally bow down, so in the same way, a person who has all good qualities will naturally bow down! But one who does not have good qualities stands erect in pride, “Don’t you know who I am!? Don’t you know my greatness and my glories? Just see all my good qualities!” But, in the material world everyone will encounter someone who is greater than himself and that is very frustrating for a proud man… shattered dreams and that dreaming is what material life is about!
Ananta-shanti Dasa passed away on June 3 this year, as the result of a stroke. My dear godbrother Ananta-shanti, the sacrifices you made in spreading Krishna consciousness, the suffering you underwent in executing that mission, and the determination you displayed to serve the order of our spiritual master are rare even amongst Gaudiya Vaishnavas.
May all Vaishnavas know of your exploits. May they honor the pain you endured and the faith you regained despite all efforts by communist authorities to destroy it. Lest we forget, may we constantly remember your unique contribution to Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement. From your transcendental position please look down upon this humble soul and grant me the same courage that you had to spread the glories of the holy names far and wide despite the greatest opposition.
With the deepest respect and admiration,
Your servant,
Indradyumna Swami Read more › 
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Lord Kåñëa said to Arjuna, 'O Arjuna! Listen attentively. When the living entity chants My name, whether out of devotion or indifference, I never forget this act. It remains always close to My heart. There is now vow like chanting the holy name, no knowledge superior to It, no meditation which comes anywhere near it, and it gives the highest result. No penance is equal to it, and nothing is as potent or powerful as the holy name. 
Why do I give on a regular basis? It is something within my reach. You know that section in Bhagavad-gita where Krishna is instructing Arjuna, and He basically says, “If you can’t do that, do this...”? Top on the list would be to be a lover of God, and act always being inspired by that love.
When I first took up the process of Krishna consciousness (true to the description of a neophyte), I thought I had attained that lofty state. But gradually, as the covering gets removed from my eyes, I see that I’m actually quite far from the ultimate goal. So if you can’t do that, then what? Then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. . . sounds good. I do my best to keep the promises I made at initiation. But if that includes rising early and coming to mangala-arati, chanting with rapt attention and hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam class faithfully every day, well, let’s just say I could improve in many areas. At this point, I’m in the wannabe category for perfect following. 
Mukhya devi dasi: Last Saturday evening the Hindu Cultural Association of Ocala put on a fundraising dinner at their Cultural Center to benefit the Goshala at New Raman Reti. The evening was completely planned, marketed and produced by the management team of this association. It included entertainment, dinner, and a few introductions to the importance of cow protection. Sakshigopal das, Akuti devi dasi, Sukhada devi dasi and Mukhya devi dasi represented the Temple's cow protection program during the event. Every penny collected on the $20 ticket price, plus extra donations, went to help build the new Goshala. We were able to connect with many people who have never even been to our temple but feel deeply about the importance of cow protection and appreciated that we were attempting to do something in a place that is wholly oblivious to the disastrous effects on every level of cow slaughter. I was very moved and impressed by their natural cultural understanding that everything comes to us from Krishna, it is all His, actually, and giving back is a part of life that is as important as anything else one holds dear. Most of the group understand from birth that cow protection is their duty and their dharma. They thanked us for giving them the chance to fulfill this duty by having a program that nurtures and honors the sacred cow.