Kadamba Kanana Swami graced Cape Town from 27 September to 1 October 2009. It was barely 4 days, and apart from the daily morning classes, Maharaja gave the lecture at the Sunday program (excerpt below), did 2 house programs, BYS at Stellenbosch University, Yoga Lounge preaching program and found time for a Japa walk on the beach
Bhagavad-gita 2.11
In this way, in life, we are trying to enjoy as much as we can… that’s one thing. And at the same time we trying to duck the unpleasant things that are sometimes flying around.
I had experience, because onetime in India, I was riding on the train and … with an open window because it was bahur garam, very hot and just then… I don’t know who did it because when you travel on the train you don’t know, but suddenly a big ball of cow-dung flew into the train and hit me right in my face… and I tell you when that comes in with about 70 or 80 kilometres an hour… it was soft, so it didn’t injure my face although… but it splashed hard and it managed to cover everything… not just my face but my clothes from top to bottom and everything.
And you know how you feel at a moment like that. You can’t believe that this had just happened. You just thinking, this is not true… this hasn’t happened. The mind doesn’t want to accept. The mind sort of no, no! This is just, this is not possible. This cannot happen, this is not normal.
I still remember the experience – it took me hours to get it all off in a train. In a train, it is not exactly where you go take a shower. So it was quite an experience and at that moment anyone could have told me: But Prabhu, (because I was not a sannyasi then) but Prabhu, cow-dung is pure! (lots of laughter)
But you know, those are not the moments when you want to hear transcendental philosophy. (laughter) Those are moments, you really like hope that somebody has a solution, something practical, something absolutely practical.
So my point is that, although we try to enjoy in this world, it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes you get a certain substance straight in your face, and what you gonna do about it? You just have to take it.
Kadamba Kanana Swami
Cape Town, 27 September 2009