(HH Kadamba Kanana Maharaja, Cape Town, 26th June 2012, Lecture: BG 7.22)
We are trying to be good devotees… we are serious about our spiritual life… it’s not only pracara but it is also acara – behaviour. It is not only about preaching but also about behaving like a devotee: You know, I sleep only 3 minutes every night… I eat only 3 grams of butter once a week… it’s to keep the wheels greased!
I was reading something from Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Thakura who said: The elephant may eat a lot but at least he’s carrying Krishna on his back and in that way doing service for Krishna.
So the essence is not on how much we can fast or how little we can sleep and so on… the essence is on how much we are willing to serve Krishna! Not he who sleeps less than everyone else or he who never eats at all: Eating? Stopped it 50 years ago! All that kind of stuff is not really going to purchase Krishna!
When we see great vaisnavas who are becoming very renounced, like the Gosvamis, they didn’t think: Today I’m fasting. They simply forgot to eat! So that is different since they were too busy in glorifying Krishna. Krishna is amazing that they were discussing Krishna and they said: Gosh, the sun has come out again… the class is still going on… it’s eight in the morning again. We have been sitting here the whole night. Oh, my God, we stayed up the whole night, and we didn’t sleep!’
They simply forgot about it and never thought about it again… that’s another level!