(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 January 2008, Stockholm, Sweden)
We cannot just declare, “I have surrendered!” No, one has to surrender again and again; it is an ongoing process. One has to gain the favour of Krsna eternally. This is quite something!
We need to take spiritual life to stage of no compromise, meaning that for Krsna nothing but the best will do – no half work, no half standards. No, everything complete, all the way and then of course Krsna will also come all the way.
If we only go halfway, he will also come that far and then God is far away. But if we go close, he will come very close also, until a very deep intimate relationship develops between the Lord and the devotee. This is possible and this is real spiritual life and then you become a Vaikuntha man. But if we do just half the work then Krsna is sort of a fairy tale – some bluish, blackish personality with the flute, living in the celestial forest with amazing friends and pastimes BUT what has this got to do with real life.
However one who deeply surrenders his life to Krsna, he begins to perceive the spiritual dimension more and more. He begins to perceive Krsna and then life becomes fun, instead of a struggle. He becomes quite ecstatic and blissful and this, of course, is what spiritual life is meant to be.