(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Leicester, UK, Pandava Sena Program)
There are thrills in the material world and there are many thrills in Krsna consciousness but the difference is that thrills in material life are all about the thing itself. Let’s say – a party, “Hey, hey, party, party! Ok! Ready! Gonna have a good party now!”
We are going to this wonderful, really good party where we will have a really good time. So we’re at the party and we’re having a good time and then the party is over – and that’s it. Finished! That is a material party.
But with a spiritual party, you have a good time and simultaneously there is another dimension to the party – a spiritual dimension of eternal benefit because all the spiritual things you do, get you eternal benefit. So, that’s a good party! Therefore, Krsna conscious parties beat all the others – they are the best! So yes, we have our thrills.
Over the years, I have spoken to many audiences and maybe the toughest audience that I ever had to speak to was a school class that was sent to the Hare Krsna temple – they didn’t really want to but they were sent to our temple. It was a school class of thirteen-year old girls. So, they were there at the temple, looking as though they did not really want to be there but they had to listen to my talk. That was tough!
So I spoke very short because I could see that they could not take much. Then immediately the first question came, “Are you ever going to a discotheque?” I knew it was a burning question because if I would have said “no”, then I was a square and that was it. At the same time, I did not go to the discotheque, so what to say?
So my brain worked at lightning speed and finally I said, “No, we don’t go to discotheques because we have a party here every day! We’re dancing everyday here so why would we go to a discotheque when we have it at home?” I said, “Would you also like to get into it?” And they said, “Yeah, why not!”
Then we had a big kirtan and they danced around and liked it a lot. So in this way, we saved the day but if I would have just somehow or other said (in disgusting voice), “Discotheque?? That’s maya!”, then I would have been finished.
So, we see that Krsna consciousness is not dry. Sometimes people ask me, “What is it like to live in a monastery?” My answer is, “No idea! I don’t know! The Hare Krsna temple is not a monastery!”
