(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 22 November 2020, Simhachalam, Germany, Caitanya Caritamrta 9.36)
Prabhupada explains that ISKCON is a branch of the Caitanya Tree, of that wish-fulfilling desire tree. So, in this way, it is described how the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is flowing and expanding, expanding through the vaisnavas to the whole universe. This process of harinama sankirtana is a personal process. It is a process about individual devotees taking up devotional service. And as such, that devotional service, which is performed by each and every devotee, then goes from one devotee to another devotee who then takes up devotional service. And again, devotional service will spread. So, this is the way that devotional service is spreading
from person to person. No one can take up devotional service without being touched by a vaisnava.
A vaisnava is vancha-kalpa-tarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca, patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namaha. The vaisnava is a wish-fulfilling desire tree who can fulfil the desires of everyone and who is full of compassion for the conditioned souls. Such compassion is not an ordinary thing. How to actually develop compassion is not so easy, not so easy at all. But compassion is really the driving force of those wish-fulfilling vaisnavas.
On the Navadvipa mandala parikrama, on the Modadrumdvipa island is the place known as Mongachi and this place is the residence of Vasudeva Dutta. Vasudeva Dutta Thakur is the extraordinary personality who somehow or other, wanted to deliver all the living beings in the entire universe. He told Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, “You please transfer all the karma of all the living beings in the universe on me so that they will be able to go back to Godhead now”. Then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, “ My dear Vasudeva, that is not required. You do not need to take the karma of all the residents of the universe upon your head. Simply by your desire, they will all be delivered because by your desire, you have purchased Me!” So, Vasudeva Dutta had that deep desire to deliver all the conditioned souls. Such a desire of compassion cannot just awaken on its own. Compassion requires that we have something better. How can we really feel compassionate towards others? Genuinely, we can act out that we are compassionate, I am here sharing this great gift, but yes, that is simply a drama. Real compassion means that one is having a better experience, a better quality of life.