A lecture given by HH Kadamba Kanana Swami during a Summer Festival in Radhadesh (July 28th, 2007).
Everybody, most welcome. It will be a talk in two languages because we have many foreign guests that I�m seeing and at the same time there may be some who don�t speak English�Okay, so two languages, so please tolerate.
Yes, so for those who didn�t notice it, the weather forecast was absolutely horrendous! Every website- about 10 of them- were showing no sun at all. Sometimes they have a drawing of a cloud and half a sun, but there was no sun- it was just one big cloud above Radhadesh. But just see what happened! We can see that there�s someone else pulling the strings than just the guys behind the computer. You really get faith that the world is not just controlled by the computer.
So the story is- a science fiction story- that once, as mankind had spread itself over different planetary systems and they were living on many different planets. They also started these huge, large computers on these different planets and they connected them; and it was a great celebration- world government was there- and it was the moment that they finally connected the cable. Then, then they asked a question to the computer, that had puzzled mankind for centuries, and the question was, �Is there a God?� The answer came, �At last, at last there is a God!� So, as they had connected the super computer, they asked the computer the question, �Is there a God?� and the answer that came was, �At last, there is!� And while one man, who was a technician, still tried to turn off the main switch, a thunderbolt came from the sky and burned him to ashes!
So everything happening with computer- we cannot clean our house without, we cannot drive our car without, going left and going right we need a computer to tell us, �And now, in 300m from here, turn right.� In this way, more and more are we being controlled by this modern society. So yes, man is nowadays with his technological advancement, controlling so many things and we�ve made so much progress�But then we see the weather forecast- hmm, failed again, once again! And that, I must say, I find an encouraging experience, because the very fact that people are not able to just control everything in the universe proves once again, how small we really are! Although we consider ourselves very great and very advanced, just in front of the power of nature we realise that we are a small man in a big universe.
In ancient times, it wasn�t difficult. One was living in a little cottage and as soon as there was some wind, or storm, or thunder or rain, people would be on their knees, �Oh God, please don�t take the roof off my house.� So it was natural to remember God. We laugh- �wind and storm? What can it do to us!�
Nowadays, we turn on the window wipers in the car. The worse that can happen is that you have to walk from the car to some building and that�s as close as you get to the elements. It�s different than when man was still driving an ox cart and driving around in close contact with the elements, because in close contact with the elements, we automatically come in close contact with the Supreme Lord, because we recognise Him in these elements. And the elements of nature, they naturally bring us to a point of making us small.
I was just in the Swiss Alps and as I was climbing up, I felt smaller. That�s what happens; when you climb mountains and go up to the top, you automatically feel small and insignificant and the whole world looks small: toy cars, match box houses, everything shrunken in size�and people walking in the road. It feels a little different if you�re racing in your V8 engine with 300 horsepowers, with 180k�s over the German autobahn, then naturally you feel very powerful, you feel the strength! �The power is in my hand!� you feel, �I am in control here! Get out of my way! Don�t you see whose coming��
As soon as we are in the world of technology, something happens to our psychology- something! As we get more and more buttons to push, oh, we grow in size, day by day! As we play on our buttons, �Yes!� we think, �let�s create a universe�I am God, God�God�I am God�God�God�virtual reality- I am creating galaxies and worlds, just like that- poof! On the computer�space wars!� ha, shot down the foreign invaders, just like that- baf, baf, baf, baf! Yes- delete! That was one planet less! Ha, great, great! I�m swelling day by day in my power! I�m a modern man, oh, I speak to anyone I want, anytime, any place- wherever I am from- yes, I�ve got one: hello? Hello, hello. I�ve got two, hello, hello, hello, hello�� or some have three. Now you have special pockets for phones that you can hang them in your finger. In that way you can have ten phones at the same time! Oh, yes! And that�s not everything- no! Phones are getting very, very advanced. Oh, and ring tones- oh boy, ring tones are big! Someone had a phone with a lady saying, �Are you there? Are you there?� He was married. I was thinking, if I would have been his wife, I wouldn�t have allowed that, I wouldn�t have allowed that phone. Yes, soon phones will have lips- they tuck you in and kiss you goodnight! �Oh yes! Ha, progress we are making!�
Oh, I forgot to mention, I forgot to mention altogether- the food package. Yes, ah, things are much better nowadays than before because we have genetically engineered things! We have put scorpion things- scorpion genes- in the tomatoes! We�ve put pig genes in the potatoes! That�s how you get these real big potatoes, the fat one�s � pig genes. Ya, and people gradually begin to get round noses and a little itch at the bottom of the back! And then, I was going to some programme somewhere and I stayed with people in their house and when I came back, they were all watching TV and there was a programme about genetic engineering. Well, it was intense because they were showing these kind of animals- mountains of flesh, without legs- and it was a horrific sight and I felt it was quite horrible. But then they started to show how they were manipulating vegetables, and that shocked me even more because I�m a vegetarian! Next thing that I saw, was in my dream at night: I went into the supermarket and there were two cabbages with faces and they were singing, �Take us home we�re all alone, take us home we�re all alone�� and I woke up sweating because I thought, today a dream but how much longer will it take before this will be a reality!
Man is now changing the creation. Man is now creating as he likes. I saw a dog- a body builder dog- yes, a dog with body builder muscles everywhere! Had he been lifting weights? Had he been running around the block too much that he had such big muscles? What did this dog do? Did he eat, did he eat special dog biggies? Special dog biggies that give you big, biggy muscles? �No, no, no, no- there were a few gentlemen who had nicely, in white coats and all dressed, who had just injected him! They had just injected him! �And just see the miracle that came about from that- ha, yes! Dogs with body builder muscles- yes!� are you a tough dog? �Yes, I am a tough dog! Yes, a few little steroids and all of us can grow in no time, yes. You always felt a little bit unhappy that your shoulders were a little too small? No problem! Pop a pill and we�ll fix you up! You were feeling a little bit uncomfortable that you could not pass your exam? No problem, just see your doctor and a little injection- and your brain will grow one and a half times as big!�
And in this way, the proud man- the man God- had become so highly elevated, above all other creatures, that he looked upon them with pity and that he considered them practically, hardly existing. And even the language was adjusted in English, where an animal has no personality- it�s just �it�, an animal is �it� as if it�s a �thing.� Man has over the years developed so many philosophies out of convenience: �Animals have no soul.� At one point it was even, �women have no soul� in the Catholic Church. An interesting philosophy- something that is now forgotten- but I�m just reminding you, there was a time when according to the Catholic Church, women had no soul! And what do the women think about that? (Laughter) I don�t need to hear, I know already*
Interesting times, isn�t it! So this is philosophy out of convenience. �Animals have no souls�- that was the philosophy out of convenience, of course, of course! Because, if they have no soul, then it�s so easy to stuff them with nice things and put a little sauce on top and take them as food because, ah, it�s just some sought of biological life anyway, it�s not real life�Like this, man has created a philosophy out of convenience. And here we are- nice, isn�t it! And it works, it works fine and everything is under control. We predict the weather and yes, it follows what we say! We just say, �there will be an eclipse of the sun�- and sure enough, there it is! See, we got it all figured out, we got it all figured out!
Remember the days- the days of the devil! Remember the days when the devil was in control? And when poor little child was falling sick- that was the work of the devil! Remember, those days when the devil was in control. Those days- now, ah, everybody laughs at it. The devil? The devil is a joke! We know very well, if someone gets sick, it�s due to bacteria or a virus and we have medicines and so on to deal with the matter, and its all there is. And we know that this whole idea of God, is just a joke�� Once people use to think that God lived on a cloud and that there, on the clouds, there were angels with wings and little hearts and trumpets and lots of sheep also, walking there in the heavens and that there was a big gate there, and a land called �the land of Eden.� But now in modern times, for God�s sake, how can you still believe that? Yesterday I landed in Brussels airport and it was so packed with people, and all these people saw lots of clouds, but I bet nobody saw any angels, nobody saw any shepherds, nobody saw any sheep and nobody saw God! So all this- old mythology; in modern times, we know, just stories to keep the children sweet, bedtime stories: ��and now listen my little darling, up on the clouds there are beings, yes, with wings, playing little trumpets and harps and all these things�� and you believe it, ��sleep, baby sleep��
Yes, who goes to the churches nowadays? They are emptying out, they�re emptying out. The most popular church is the �free church�, yes, because there you have free love! So it is a wonderful opportunity. There everything is possible. So, there we go in the �free church�- not a boring thing! No, a new programme every week! One week a Buddhist, instead of the old, old priest, you know, with the same lecture- no, new! There�s life, there�s variety, every week a new religion there! Yes, great place! And you feel the energy- you get a little taichi, a little reiki- you get it all, the energy�s flowing and experience something new, a real spiritual experience! Ha, this is what we needed- something new!�
And then we are here, year in year out, and there�s also a lot that has changed. The stage used to be over there, now it�s here. That�s nice- different view, some people have gained weight, some people have lost and some have grown older- so many things. Time has moved along but one thing has not changed and that is Krsna is still the Supreme Lord, still! And we�re still chanting the same maha-mantra that we�ve always chanted and the amazing thing is that it�s still ever fresh and still giving us always, new experiences. And that�s why here, we don�t need to have a free Hare Krsna temple where we invite Buddhists and a jazz piano players who sing gospel�s and Mr �emoto� and Mr�I don know, from wherever in the world, to give us his view on spirituality because here, we have a simple thing- the maha-mantra, and we are satisfied. It�s amazing! It�s not only satisfying, but it gives me a sense of security to know that things don�t change, to know that Krsna is still the Supreme Lord, to know that the same mantra is still being chanted and that it still works, that the truth doesn�t change- that is something that gives me faith, for which I say, yes! And I feel good with it because at least there is something, something�thank God; at least there is something that doesn�t change, at least something still the same. They�ve already changed my tomatoes; they�ve changed my potatoes! God knows what else they�re going to change!
When comes the day that they�re going to change me? Yes, do I have to have a chip or not? A little chip in the hand with all your personal ID, identification on there, your bank account will be recorded there, your blood group, your age your place of birth, your family, your political orientation, your religious interest, everything you�ve ever bought will be recorded there, on the chip in your hand and at a moment, as you�re walking past automatic scanners, the scanner can automatically read everything that is there; there is not even a need to try to stick your hand inside a hole so that the reader can read- no, as you�re walking past the automatic scanning gates, automatically your hand will be scanned. Happy days are coming�The future will bring so many wonderful things- free psychiatric treatment for the free adjustment of the brain. If you think too different, no problem- a little genetic adjustment can solve that. So, the demons, the demons are trying to take the place of the Supreme Lord, the demons are trying to take the position of God and try to be the controller! The demons are trying, ha, but what is there chance! Bigger and more powerful demons in the past have tried- and they failed! Krsna, will surely protect His devotees!
Yes, come again next year and see that nothing has changed; that everything is still the same, the same Krsna, the same maha-mantra will be there and the same satisfaction will be there. Welcome, come; come again next year for a moment of peace and a moment of inspiration, welcome!
Thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki, Jaya!