(Kadamba Kanna Swami, Finland, 2011)
The animals in Vrindavan and in the holy dhams are also devotees and they are very much on the spontaneous platform. I have seen many extraordinary things with animals in the dhams.
In Vrindavan we would take prasadam in the temple and then they were carrying the buckets from the kitchen to the main entrance of the temple. Just as they were carrying the bucket, this bird made a total attack and went straight for the sweet rice! Just flied half through it with mouth wide open!
I have never seen anything like it, but only in Vrindavan. Such eagerness….really. While we were taking prasadam we had a net which covered the courtyard of the temple to keep out the monkeys! But there was also the tamal tree in the courtyard of the temple. The tamal tree had broken a little bit of the net. So one monkey got in, whilst the devotees were almost finished taking the prasadam. Most devotees had left by then, so the monkey came down and sat on the mats in front of the empty plate. What to do? So we just served the monkey, who nicely took the prasadam, and then left!
That was not an ordinary monkey – it’s very clear in Vrindavan, but all on the spontaneous platform. So gradually more and more devotional service must become spontaneous, because Krishna is so nice! Yes, we’ll make a flower garland for him because He is so nice – not because we have to, but because we want to! We will go and find some forest flowers and do it, somehow or other for Krishna!
