(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 30 August 2013, Goloka Dhama, Germany, Hamsaduta Seminar Part 1)
Compassion means that when we experience something ourselves then, we can do something for others who are going through what we are going through. I have thought about compassion as a topic and dealt with the topic. Every year, I have been going to Mamgachi in Mayapur, particularly to the place of Vasudev Datta, to meditate on his extraordinary compassion. Vasudev Datta was ready to take all the sinful reactions of the whole universe upon him. Every year when we went there, we were praying, meditating and speaking about Vasudev Datta.
Subsequently, I went to Bangladesh and I went to the birthplace of Vasudev Datta and I spoke in that particular place and meditated further on Vasudev Datta. Gradually, I began to think of how can one become compassionate if one is not experiencing something better? When one is experiencing that Krsna consciousness is blissful, only then can one be really compassionate. Otherwise, it is artificial. Otherwise, we are just trying to put it within the frame of mind. But when we are actually experiencing the happiness of Krsna consciousness, then compassion becomes really possible otherwise, it will be hard.
That happiness is not a mystery; that happiness is not something like, “When will it happen?” It is not that we are in Krsna consciousness but still not happy. That simply means that we are not following the path of Krsna. It means that we are not spending our time in absorbing ourselves in Krsna, his activities and then glorifying those activities to the world. If that is what we would be doing, then everything would just become perfect.
But we have excuses. We say, “Yeah but I’m alone! I need companionship! I mean, if only I have companionship then I can do it but I’m alone!” What mundane companion can satisfy the heart? Since when has any mundane relationship ever satisfied the heart? Even the wives of demigods are not happy as described in Bhagavatam. They are enjoying on the banks of the heavenly Alakananda (river) and yet are still unfulfilled. If we are unfulfilled in our lives, we should not blame the external circumstances; we should blame our attachment to wanting the material circumstances to be according to the script that we have written.
We should rather just simply follow the path of Krsna, absorb ourselves in the activities of Krsna, just glorify Krsna and then everything becomes blissful. Then we will see whether we will be alone or not alone. The more one gets absorbed like that in Krsna consciousness, the more people will never leave one alone. See how many people are just looking at Srila Prabhupada for inspiration and turning to him constantly. Then, where is the question of loneliness? One who is with Krsna is never alone. I think this is one thing about Srila Prabhupada that sort of really stands out because he went all alone into those harsh conditions of New York but he was never alone. He was always very close to Krsna. So, that is the only way to actually be really happy.
