(HH Kadamba Kanana Swami, 8th August 2012, Slovenia, Lecture: SB 1.3.28)
Srila Prabhupada wanted everyone to become a devotee of Krishna. Some were criticising by saying that this was dogmatic and very narrow: We must be a little open to other ideas and other religions. Why just Krishna?
But Prabhupada would say: You know, they are dogmatic because they say that Krishna is not God but they have not seen Him! Krishna is not an Indian God, He is God for the entire world… this Krishna Consciousness is not artificial. It is natural and something that is already there in everyone. It is not something that you need to learn since it’s already there in the heart!’
You say that, but some people like Krishna Consciousness whilst others don’t. You may say that it’s not something that you have to learn, but some have to learn!
Prabhupada said: Yes, it looks like you have to learn it but still it is natural. Just like a child who is walking which is natural but still the child has to learn how to walk. It takes time to learn. In the same way, it is natural for everyone to be a devotee of Krishna but it takes time to learn.
So, we are slowly learning to become devotees of Krishna:
‘bhyāsa-yoga-yuktena
cetasā nānya-gāminā
paramaṁ puruṣaṁ divyaṁ
yāti pārthānucintayan (Bg 8.8)
We are trying to practise Krishna Consciousness. It doesn’t come automatically but something is there. Many devotees think it’s not so easy to be Krishna Conscious. I hear it often: It’s very difficult to be Krishna Conscious.
My answer to that would be simple: Actually it is very difficult not to be Krishna Conscious!’
If I was to say to everyone in this room that tomorrow we are not allowed to chant, just for one day! But you would do it anyway since you have to… we have to chant… we cannot stop chanting even if we tried it for a day… we cannot do it!
We always say: Oh, it’s hard to chant! But it’s even harder not to chant… so like this, we are more Krishna Conscious than we think!
