Founder of ISKCON. His Divine
Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada
Material nature consists of three modes -- goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he becomes conditioned by these modes. (Bhagavad-gita 14.5)
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Diary of a spiritual journey 1   10.09.2010

Date: 15.7.2002

Dear Vaisnavas,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Durban, July 12, 2002

Never before in my life have I maintained a diary, especially not a public one. I am following in the footsteps of many senior vaisnavas, who have also taken up this proces. My aim is to communicate with many people at once in a personal way, I am receiving more e-mails than I can handle. It’s not that my diary is meant to replace personal correspondence, but since I can not manage to write so many letters, this is at least a way to communicate. I hope you will like it.

Another reason to write is for my own purification, which is most needed.

I am here in Durban at the eve of a three day Ratha Yatra festival. I am well prepared, I have rested, shaved my head, listened to lectures of Prabhupada and chanted some extra rounds beyond sixteen.

Actually I was forced to rest a lot during the last period, since 12 days ago somehow or other unexpectedly a collision took place between the head of another devotee and mine. It has take almost 2 weeks to recover from the consequent concussion, I am ok now

In South Africa it is winter at the moment, but in Durban it’s quite mild only after dark it becomes cold.

I am at home here, because I get a lot of appreciation from the devotees. I have been regularly coming to South Africa since 1995. Appreciation is important, I may be a sannyasi but also still a human being.

We had some very nice programs here. In Pretoria with a large group of African students, before the program we just spoke informally, they were intelligent and very interested in Krishna consciousness. Then we had a real nice, long, intense bhajan, with a very happy exchange during class and finally a big kirtan where every black had his own dance, everybody loved it. Africa is ready for Krishna.

Durban July 15th.

This weekend we had the day Ratha Yatra festival in Phoenix, Durban with many Indian- and some African devotees, big, long kirtanas it was very nice and I also I liked the question and answer sessions for which they have a seperate tent during the festival. There are so many devotees here and in Phoenix they’re building a big temple. Lord Caitanya’s movement touches the life of many new people everyday and some actually take up regular devotional service. The world is being flooded in love of God.

In 1987 I was a grhasta and we were living in Mayapur somewhere on the ground floor. One night suddenly we heard people calling the bear, the bear is loose. They had a zoo with a bear in Mayapur during those days. Next people began to call out flood, flood! We got up and saw that the land was covered in 10 cm of water just like after a big rain, but now the water was rising and rising. We also saw the bear, they let him out of the cage and were trying to bring him to high ground. The water was steadily getting higher and higher and we barely had the time to move our most important belongings out of the room to the first floor before the water came inside the house. By the time the morning arrived the whole area was covered in 2 meters of water. Prabhupada writes in the Caitanya Caritamrta that these floods in Mayapur mean that the whole world will be flooded with love of God by Lord Caitanya’s movement and by traveling around the world, we can see it happening everywhere. First it may not look like so much, but the level of Krishna consciousness is steadily rising without a doubt!

Now it’s time to rest, read and chant!

More news soon, hari bol,
Your servant,
Kadamba Kanana Swami

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