(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 15 December 2013, Soweto, South Africa, Lecture)
In this world, we may think that some people are enjoying and that some people are suffering. We may think, “Some people in the world, they are the lucky people, they have everything. The other people in the world, they have to suffer.” We may think like that but I tell you, this is not true! Everybody suffers in this world because the world is a jail. We are locked in the jail and our body is the cell. We are locked in this body, we cannot get out, we cannot escape it! We may try to enjoy it; try… try… try!!
I like the example of The Rolling Stones, “I cant’ get no satisfaction and I tried and I tried…” They are still trying. Mick Jagger must be eighty by now or something like that and he is still trying, he never stopped. The Rolling Stones, they pumped so much drugs into their veins that every once in a while, they would go on a kidney machine (dialysis) to clean their blood so that they could do it again. All right but still not enough; still not satisfied!
You may have one woman, not satisfied; you may two women – not satisfied; three – not satisfied! Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur, he lived one-hundred years ago, he said, “A man may have all the women in the world but still not satisfied.” What can be done!? The mind is not satisfied and this is why we are in jail because of our mind. We are in jail, wherever we are, it does not matter. No money in your pocket, still in jail. Lots of money in your pocket, still in jail, still not free. It is difficult! So this Hare Krsna movement, this chanting of Hare Krsna, is giving us a chance to get free!
Srila Prabhupada describes a story. He described that there is a bird which had lived his whole life in a cage. The one day, they took the cage, put it outside, in the field, and opened the door. The door was opened and out the bird went. The bird was flying around a little bit in the sky but then, he turned around and flew back into the cage. Who is the bird? Are we the bird? The door is open, we can fly out; we have been in the cage so long, “Actually I like my cage. It is a nice cage. There are many good things. I have different levels where I can sit and tasty things which also I like. It is a comfortable cage, beautiful also. Got a good view from my cage. Ah yes! I like this cage, too much.” It is the body, that is the cage and we keep on trying to enjoy, this way and that way, “Oh, it is so good!” But why are we not satisfied, if it is so good!? It brings you suffering. Not only we are not satisfied but it brings so many complications.
It is like a man wants a woman and the woman wants a man. The woman wants children and so many things. You have one and then you cannot go anywhere. The thing cries all the time. Get someone to take care of the kid, “Your turn. Who is going to change the nappy today?’” These kinds of scenarios… But what does it all lead to? Then we have a beautiful house, then we have so many bills and then we sit in that beautiful house and it feels just like a cage! Still nothing satisfies us. So the point is why waste our time?
