(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 26 April 2015, Radhadesh, Belgium, Vyasa Puja Morning Lecture, Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya Lila 24.124)
The reason why I brought this little bit of astrology into the lecture, is to point out that we have our nature. I will give an example of Krsna Ksetra Maharaj. I like to call him, “His Relaxedness.” Happy relaxedness! I have never seen Maharaj uptight in all these years. I am the opposite – I get uptight about things, all the time. Like these vyasa-pujas, they make me uptight. There are so many people and I have relationships with everybody and they are all here and they all want to talk to me. But how I am going to talk to all of them!? It is impossible. The only way I can talk to all of you, is through the microphone right now. That is about it, and here and there catch some of you but not all of you, because it is impossible. But I find that Krsna Ksetra Maharaj knows how to deal with everything in a relaxed way. I am learning from Maharaj, this art of becoming relaxed in Krsna’s service.
So our natures are different but still each of these natures has to be adjusted for the sake of Krsna. I realized, through many life experiences, that natures have their good sides and bad sides in devotional service, and that we have to use our natures to the advantage of Krsna. When you have a fiery nature, sometimes you have to just cool it. When you have a very cool nature, sometimes you need to get a bit hot for Krsna.
So we have to make adjustments for Krsna – whatever it is and whatever it takes. We have to have that willingness to be shaped – like chapati dough – into whichever forms are required. Just like a joker in the card game who can adjust to whatever card he is placed next to; he immediately takes on the qualities of the card he is next to. So we have to be like that for Krsna’s service. We have to be ready to change and to rise to the occasion, which means to do anything and everything that is required.
In the material world, you can say that you are not trained for that type of engagement but in Krsna consciousness that does not work because there is always that, “You just surrender, prabhu!” mantra. (laughter)
They ask you, “Can you cook?”
You reply, “Well, no. Not really…”
“Oh, that is easy. Just put some water on the stove, some rice and this and that…“
Half an hour later, there is kitchari and one week later you are in charge of the kitchen! All in the name that Krsna will empower us. But it is true that Krsna will empower us and it is true that we depend on Krsna’s empowerment. Without the empowerment of Krsna, there is nothing we can do. Even with all the talents in the world – even if you can sing like a gandarva, not every morning you will wake up with the golden voice!
Krsna says, paurusham nrishu (Bhagavad-gita 7.8) – I am the ability in man. Everything is simply a gift from Krsna. Therefore, we are using our gifts and where we are not so gifted, we just try to do the best we can, in the hope that Krsna will help us. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada was saying that the word impossible exists only in the fool’s dictionary. By that, he was referring to the principle of empowerment and it is important that we contemplate this principle of empowerment.
Therefore, our limitations do not apply. Otherwise we start to thing logically, “I know myself. I am not a kid. I have been around. I am not new, you know. I know what I can do; I know what I cannot do. I know how I can stretch myself, but really certain things I know I just cannot do.“ Not necessarily! When the Krsna factor is there, then we can surprise ourselves, “I did not know I can do it!’ With Krsna’s help anything can be done.