(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Stockholm, June 2011)
Devotee: Could you explain a little more about the differences between the struggles in the material and the struggles in the spiritual world?
Swamiji: Yes in the material world the struggle is difficult and burdensome, but then if you go through the austerity of doing it, then at the end it becomes blissful. The result can become very nice and that is very blissful. In the spiritual world it is blissful through every step. There is also a lot of endeavour being made to please Krishna. Big arrangements are being made….a lot of energy is put into pleasing Krishna. Every little inch of it is blissful!
One who is already in consciousness of the consciousness in the spiritual world, will also here in this world experience everything as blissful – a liberated soul.
But otherwise we conditioned souls are finding that we are struggling and struggling in devotional service. It’s like:
“Tough…tough…tough”.
And then finally some success:
“Bliss…bliss….bliss”
And then again it becomes a struggle, which is our normal kind of level of the struggle at this stage. In the spiritual world whatever endeavour we make for Krishna is opulent…. it’s opulent – that’s the difference!