A day for Krsna

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, December 2011, Pretoria, South Africa, Caitanya Caritamrta Lecture)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained to Sanatana Goswami that we must follow in the footsteps of the eternal residents of Vrindavan. We must always act for the pleasure of Krsna. In our sadhana, Krsna must always be in the centre.

My first big festival in the temple was Gaura Purnima. I was celebrating it at the Bhaktivedanta Manor and I had just returned from India. We were in a very big room and we, the brand new devotees, our service was to roll sweet balls the whole day. We were fasting and it was just too much for my mind to be sitting with an ocean of sweet balls. I was thinking, ‘What kind of movement is this? They are fasting and then the whole day they are in the kitchen cooking and busy with and all kinds of prasadam preparations. What is this process?’

I thought it was strange because I was self-centered. I was thinking that it was all austerity which we were performing for our own purification. I did not understand that for one day, for one day, it was a day for Krsna and on that day, instead of worrying of our own senses, as we usually do, on a special festival, we put all our own sense enjoyment aside. There will be no arrangements made for our sense enjoyment. All the arrangements are made only for Krsna’s pleasure, everything! The residents of Vrindavan do that every day!