Written by Sesa Das
Early on Friday morning (07 October), Kadamba Kanana Swami flew from Cape Town to Lanseria, Johannesburg. There were no programs scheduled that day so Maharaj got some well-deserved rest.
On Saturday evening, Maharaj was invited to give class at the Benoni Hindu temple at their namahatta program. After forty minutes of kirtan, Maharaj recited Bhagavad-gita 9.10 and began talking about how nothing in this world can satisfy, attract or intimidate Krsna…
He is transcendental! He does not depend on the offering made to him but accepts the bhakti. It was a very enlivening class for everyone as Maharaj asked a crucial question, “How do you know Krsna is real? Where is the proof?” Then he explained that the pure devotee is living proof and gave many stories and examples from Srila Prabhupada’s life. Highly applicable because the life of the devotee is also Bhagavatam, the person Bhagavatam, so Lilamrta is also Bhagavatam! We preach to hippies and then we can leave and go home to a sane environment. However, Srila Prabhupada went to live with them, in the madness, he had no support and wasn’t even disturbed about it! He had such inner strength and this convinces us and makes it easier for us! In this way Maharaj explained and gave us a clearer understanding on this question and how it helps deepen our conviction to keep to Vedic culture, rather than modern day science which is constantly changing.
Sunday 9th October 2016 marked the 9th anniversary of the Soweto Ratha Yatra festival. Devotees assembled early outside the Soweto temple to build the cart and Harinamananda Prabhu began the kirtan. Shortly thereafter, Maharaj and Agnideva Prabhu arrived. With many devotees on mrdangas, whompers, kartals and dancers all around, the procession was about to begin and Maharaj sang for around two minutes and then shifted the intensity of the kirtan up by four gears! It was amazing! Maharaj sang until mid-way of the procession and then Agnideva Prabhu took over and sang for the remainder. The kirtan was incredible! The dance moves executed by the devotees words can’t even attempt to describe! The pujaris were showering the streets with prasada! The locals were all running out of their houses, jumping for the prasada and dancing along in appreciation of the procession! Soweto is historically well known for having revolutionary roots for many events which benefited South Africa, and no doubt the Ratha Yatra is also an enlivening revolutionary procession for all in the country!
On Tuesday evening, Maharaj went to the Pretoria temple and the progam began with a rocking kirtan which lifted off the roof! During the class Maharaj touched upon his personal experiences with several senior devotees such as Yasodanandana Swami, Mahavirya Prabhu and Tamal Krsna Goswami stating that we get so much personal-ism and shelter from their personalities and relationships. We see they all did something for Srila Prabhupada. What will we do? They all told Srila Prabhupada, “Don’t worry, I’ll do it!” and they did! They all sacrificed so much and are sold out to Prabhupada. This is a lecture not to be missed! Listen to it ASAP!
On Maharaj’s last evening in Jo’burg he went back to Soweto for a house program. For the first few hours Maharaj sang kirtans with a few melodies! The room of people were going mad dancing! What an atmosphere! During the class Maharaj spoke how anything is possible when Krsna is on our side; like the story of the sparrow’s eggs taken by the ocean and Garuda aiding to bring them back. So with our small attempts what can really happen but when Krsna sees that we are really trying, he can change the whole world very quickly. For example, in the early days no-one could imagine Russia becoming Krsna Conscious! Now if we don’t know a Russian devotee we may be in the minority of Iskcon and it is spreading massively there. So a sales pitch may convince a few, however the impossible becoming possible is only with Krsna’s help, because only with purity does the movement become a success! Then miracles happen when we somehow purchase Krsna!
The following morning (14 October), Maharaj left for Mauritius. It may sound overly hectic and busy, however please be rest assured that Maharaj does get sufficient rest, exercise and healthy prasada to keep nourished and balance things out.
Visit Flickr to see more photos.
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