Written by Nimai
After his Vyasa Puja festival in Radhadesh, Kadamba Kanana Swami travelled to India for a one month stay. We arrived in Vrindavan on 30 April and spent a week there. We welcomed heat after it had been snowing in Radhadesh. Maharaj took a few days off to recover from the journey and the recent events. On Monday (02 May), the disappearance day of Srila Vrindavan das Thakur, Maharaj gave the Srimad Bhagavatam class at the Krsna Balaram temple based on verse 6.9.36. He spoke about the different expansions of the Lord and also explained how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is non-different from Krsna. Maharaj went on to tell stories from the Caitanya Bhagavat, which was written by Srila Vrindavan das Thakur. He mentioned the occasion where Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Jagai and went blackish for a moment from all the sinful activities of Jagai which were absorbed; the Lord was displaying his non-difference from Krsna in this way. Watch the video on Youtube by clicking here.
On the next day, Maharaj gave an evening class based on Bhagavad-gita 3.34. The verse described lust and envy. Maharaj quoted Srila Baladev Vidyabusan, who said that these two (lust and envy) are thieves because they steal our pious activities if we give into them, and our consciousness will be plundered. Later on Maharaj pacified the audience though, by saying that even if we may not be pure devotees yet, we do have some love and taste for devotional service, for we do it voluntarily and this is what will carry us in our spiritual life. Watch the video on Youtube by clicking here.
Indradyumna Swami was also in Vrindavan during this time and Kadamba Kanana Swami went to meet him one day, to speak to him personally – they both went through some similar health problems and have a long-standing friendship. Indradyumna Swami was celebrating his Vyasa Puja the next day and Maharaj attended and spoke some words of glorification. There were many nice offerings by the disciples of Indradyumna Swami and he would often make some funny comment in response or glorify them back. Bada Hari Prabhu was also there and Indradyumna Swami said, “We would ask Bada Hari Prabhu to speak, but you must understand, he has to go through this six more times,” (referring to Vyasa Puja) and went on to say speak some sweet words about Bada Hari Prabhu, explaining that they have been travelling together for the last four years.
Maharaj and I kept up our daily 5km walk and on one evening, after the heat had gone down a bit, we visited the Radha Raman deity to take darshan. Maharaj also led kirtan in front of Krsna Balaram on another evening after the weekend was over and the temple wasn’t so crowded. Many devotees had been asking Maharaj to sing since the first day, so they were very pleased when he did. On the last days, many disciples came to see Maharaj, and he gave them a lot of personal time. There were also aspiring devotees, whom Maharaj accepted to our god-family.
From Vrindavan we travelled to the Delhi temple to stay for a night. Maharaj would’ve sang a fired up mangal arati for them, if our flight to South India hadn’t been so early in the morning. We arrived at the Ayurvedic clinic in Coimbatore on 06 May, Maharaj will be undergoing Ayurvedic treatment here for three weeks before returning to Europe.
