Top 500 Radhanath Swami Quotes | Radhanath Swami

Radhanath Swami on ASSOCIATION

All the scriptures have this conclusion to make that a moment’s association with a sadhu is the most valuable thing in all of creation, because that moment’s association of a sadhu can open the doors to the loving service of Krishna in our lives. There is nothing more valuable than that.
Association of people who are striving to be determined helps us to become determined.
Association of saintly persons alone can bring us eternal peace and everlasting happiness and carry us across the ocean of birth , old age, disease and death.
In the association of those devotees who are pure, those devotees who are honestly representing pure devotees, the highest benedictions of the treasure of love of God are available even for the most fallen souls.
Our consciousness and our motivations in life are like spectacles having different colors, which make everything appear tainted. Association of saintly people and regular spiritual practices give us the vision and the philosophical ideal which help us see the world clearly.
Our greatest strength in facing difficulties lies in having the association of each other and learning to depend on the power of God which is beyond our own.
Real friendship means to help each other become Krishna conscious.
Satsang is where the energy of many people, who are like-minded, seeking true spiritual connection, increases people’s faith.
The seed of bhakti – even if drying up from years of neglect – will flourish again in the association of those who really cherish the fortune of seva, Hari-Katha and Hari-Kirtan.
There cannot be love without trust and there cannot be trust unless we take responsibility to act in a way that people can trust us.
When we share our joy of devotion with each other, the greatest blessings come.
If people give you things, you get things. But if you give to others, you get blessings. When you receive blessings from great souls, when you render service to great souls, we acquire something that is forever.

Radhanath Swami on ATTITTUDE

How we interpret our experience determines what our experience will be.
If we have the proper attitude, we can resolve the specifics of any problem without much confusion. The real essence is to have the right attitude.

Radhanath Swami on AUSTERITY

Austerity means putting aside our selfish ambitions for a higher purpose.
If we perform austerity with an objective of expressing our desire to love Krsna, such an austerity purifies us.
Real austerity means making the right choices.
Tapas means to accept what is favorable for spiritual progress and avoid what is unfavorable, even if doing so is difficult. Whether something is easy or difficult is not of primary importance. The more relevant question is, “Is this the right thing to do?”
Tapasya means simply to live in harmony with the desire of God and to put aside all things that are contrary to God’s will in our life.
Tapasya means to accept inconvenience for higher purpose.
The ultimate austerity is to decrease our inclinations of the body and mind and focus on serving Krsna.

Radhanath Swami on BHAGAVAD GITA

If one adopts to the principles enunciated in the Bhagwad Gita, he can make his life perfect and make a permanent solution to all the problems of his life.
The Bhagavad Gita tells that every living being is a part of God, just as every ray emanating from the sun is part of the sun. When we discover the love of God that is within our own hearts, we see an inseparable part of God in the heart of every living being—male or female, black or white, Hindu, Muslim or Christian, American or Israeli and only then can we truly love the other ignoring all their faults.
The Bhagavad-Gita with its knowledge is there for everybody. Unless we have humility, devotion, and an eagerness to serve, we cannot digest the knowledge.

Radhanath Swami on BHAKTI YOGA

Bhakti Yoga starts when we appreciate the devotional qualities in others.
We read the Srimad Bhagavatam, but if we really want to understand what’s being said we have to enter into the experience of the particular characters.
Actual devotion, love is manifested not through physical proximity, but through seva.
Actually it is only the sincerity of our devotion, the genuineness of our intent to serve that attracts Krishna. And the particular ritual is a form in which we express our intent to serve and to please the Lord.
Difficulties in this world will not go with self-realization, but devotion will equip us with a deeper level of perception.
Simply performing devotional activities will not impart devotion to others but our consciousness should be absorbed.
The only property that actually has true value is devotion.
When a family is actually centered around devotion to God, service to God, love for God, then the home becomes the spiritual world.
When we live our lives with devotion, this world becomes a virtual reality version of the spiritual world.
A real Saint is one who is genuinely detached from sense gratification and is truly attached to the loving service of the Lord.
Anyone who has rendered sincere devotional service is loved by Krsna, even if he is in maya.
Devotional service is not a system of negation but a system of transformation.
Pure devotional service fries the seeds of material inclinations in our heart.
Bhakti means moving out of our comfort zone.
On the path of Bhakti; Samadhi means total absorption, 100 % absorption in the loving remembrance of the Lord and in serving the Lord.
Unless we understand the value of Prema Bhakti, love of God, it may seem that Krishna consciousness is difficult. But if we can just appreciate the value of ecstatic love for Krishna, then whatever we have to go through in this life is actually very simple. It’s a very small price; it’s not so difficult.

Radhanath Swami on CHARACTER

A person’s accomplishments induce respect and adoration from another person’s mind, doesn’t go beyond that. But a person’s character induces respect and love from other people’s hearts. Because ultimately its character that makes a person great, not accomplishments.
A personal commitment to the health of the environment matures when we learn to be kind to all beings – from other people to insects to trees to the fish that swim in the oceans and rivers.
According to how we behave and how we respond to obstacles, we determine our karmic reactions.
Everything in this world is neutral. Whether a thing is beneficial or destructive depends on the consciousness and character of the person utilizing it.
For one who is honoured, dishonour is worse than death. But for one who sees a divine reason behind it, dishonour is more blissful than honour, because life is not about being honoured and dishonoured; life is about how we respond to each of those situations and the observation of the Lord within the heart.
If we do not like someone with a certain guna & karma that is not their problem, that is our problem.
Loyalty and faithfulness is the foundation of the disciple’s character and sadhana should be horminised with this. The more one makes spiritual advancement, one feels humble as one’s devotion is superficial, that much he feels he is a great devotee.
Personality is who we are and what we do when everybody is watching. Character is who we are and what we do when NOBODY is watching.
Philosophy is like a product and culture is like the packaging. Without proper packaging the product will not be protected. Nor will it even look attractive.
Philosophy without proper behaviour is practically useless
Real problem is not population explosion, but what the population is doing.
The greatest charity we can give is an excellent example for others to follow.
The right path to live on is to live with the right values and right universal character and to be an instrument of the grace within all of us.
To see faults in others contaminates your heart.

Radhanath Swami on COMPASSION

Be whoever you want to be, but don’t be motivated by greed, egoism, lust, envy, anger and pride; rather, be motivated by your own inherent nature, as an instrument of God’s compassion.
Compassion brings fulfillment to the heart. Selfish desires simply agitate the heart.
Compassion without detachment is attachment to the bodily platform.
If we are depressed by others sufferings, we should be more enthusiastic to chant, read, hear and serve the Lord in a spirit of compassion to help that drowning individual.
If we can sacrifice even a part of our lives to show compassion to others, we enrich ourselves.
If we understand the underlying cause of what we think of as bad in someone, instead of being hateful, we will be compassionate. For is not every soul inherently good? A saintly person will hate the disease but love the diseased.
It is through the love, the compassion of His devotees that Krishna manifests in this world to transform our hearts.
Money, power and knowledge are great assets when used with compassion
Radharani is the compassionate nature of Krishna.
Real compassion means to reconnect people with Krishna.
The greatest compassion is to help a person understand his / her eternal relationship with God.
To hate someone who hates you is sharing the same disease.
To recognize and cultivate compassion, we must be educated to understand what is compassion.
When you hate a person, you are hating some aspect of Krishna.
Greatness is not in what we do but how we are an instrument in the hands of God.

Radhanath Swami on CONSCIOUSNESS

A person influenced by circumstances can become viciously envious or affectionately kind. Our company and our surroundings have a crucial effect on our consciousness. How important it is to be an instrument to bring out the inherent good of each other rather than the worst.”
Krishna wants us to adjust to the circumstances and carry on our devotional service. This is the principle. We cannot always change the circumstances, but we can always adjust our consciousness.
Krsna is everywhere. To be conscious of that is spiritual vision. To not be conscious of that is material vision.
There is no question of rising to a higher level of consciousness unless we learn to control our mind and our senses. And there is no impetus to do that unless we understand the nature of this temporary existence.
Things make sense when we understand that the ultimate result of our activities is to bend our entire consciousness.
This world is full of uncertainties, and you can never change that. Therefore the intelligent person, rather than simply trying to adjust the environment, tries to adjust his own consciousness. And for this reason the process of self-realization has been taught by great saintly persons of various religions throughout history.
We can remember Krishna for millions of births and still remain in the material world, unless Krishna is pleased with our remembrance.

Radhanath Swami on DEPTH

If we do not actively invest in our spiritual growth, quality of life remains shallow.
Our inner depth should be as much as the ocean, so we are not fazed by the external praise or criticism. For that, we must truly do work that is meaningful to us, have love in our heart for others and help people. And when we achieve inner depth, the external world’s rewards won’t matter to us as much.
When we celebrate Janmashtami, it should be a time when we commit ourselves and dedicate ourselves to live by the will of Lord Krishna. This is the real celebration.

Radhanath Swami on DESIRE

Bhakti is not a mechanical process. It is a process of expressing our desires to Krishna through our actions, our thoughts and our words.
If we have that strong desire then Krishna miraculously removes obstacles and gives us the power to overcome them.
In spirituality, intelligence is the word of Krsna, the faculty within us that is able to discriminate between Krsna’s desire and the desire of our senses.
We are all shackled by the chains of our own independent desire to lord and enjoy over this material energy.

Radhanath Swami on DETERMINATION

Don’t let a breath escape from your body without Krishna’s name. That should be our determination throughout our life.
The will to grow despite the heat of adversity is necessary if one wants to thrive.
To discriminate what is wrong and to be focused on the right is called determination.

Radhanath Swami on EGO

False ego is the root cause of all conflicts.
“If I do not like something, it must be bad”. This is human psychology. The ego makes oneself the centre of one’s own universe and if some thing doesn’t fit one’s egoistic conceptions, it is wrong.
Akinchana means no false ego. When we have this spirit of real humility, Krishna will bless us with such a higher taste that we could chant His name constantly.
Due to false ego and a selfish disposition, we perceive everyone as potential enemies.
The dirty wax of egotism accumulated in the heart prevents us from clearly hearing the Lord’s voice within. A guru, with the stick of knowledge, cleans our hearts. It’s really ugly to see what may come out, but by following patiently, we keep cleaning.
The false ego makes a person think, “I am the best, therefore my family must be the best, my caste must be the best, my home must be best, my religion must be best and everything about me must be best.” This misconception of ‘I and mine,’ is the cause of great wars all over the world today. Everyone thinks they are the best.
The law of gravity according to our understanding, “your false ego goes up, you fall down; you become humble, you go up”.
The reason why we are in the material world is because of our ahankar or false ego.
Why so much conflict within marriage? Because instead of thinking in terms of ‘ we ’, we are thinking in terms of ‘ me ’ and ‘ mine ’ – selfishness, ego.

Radhanath Swami on ENVY

People’s criticizing others is an exhibition of their envy towards GOD.
We make so many arrangements to impress other people, but by material arrangements the people we try to impress simply hate us and envy us.
What is envy? Envy means, “I want to be seen as important and great” and if anyone is a threat to my own egoistic ideas, then there is negativity towards that person.

Radhanath Swami on FAITH

As faith deepens, we look for a deeper exchange of love with God.
As faith develops, we stop trying to make deals with God and look for a deeper exchange, one in which we see him as our dearest friend and begin to trust his direction.
Faith in the mind and faith in Krsna cannot go hand in hand. Either we have faith in our mind or in Krsna.
Faith is not something put into you; faith is awakened from within. The soul has complete faith. We have to long for this faith, we have to beg for this faith, we must pray for this faith and we must do the needful to get this faith.
Faith is the symptom of love of God, and surrender to Him is the manifestation of that love.
Krsna consciousness is based on the faith and conviction of our heart and how much are we willing to implement that faith in our actions and life.
Our faiths can teach us how to give up sin, but Srila Prabhupada taught us how to give up the root of sin, which is false ego.
The purer our motives, the greater courage and faith we will have to accomplish things way beyond the horizon of even our imagination.
To loose money, prestige, health or even life itself is not such a loss. To loose faith is the greatest loss.
Two things are very important – A very mature and honest understanding of the dangers and sufferings of material existence and faith that the holy name of God has descended to give us supreme shelter.
When we have a question or a doubt about faith in Krsna, it is because we are putting too much faith in our minds.

Radhanath Swami on FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is actually a beautiful & Holistic experience for the heart.
Forgiveness is the fragrance that a sweet smelling flower like a rose or violet leaves on the heal that has just crushed it.
If we are to have any hope of peace in this world, we must master the art of forgiveness.
If you will not forgive you will not be forgiven.
When we forgive someone, we liberate ourselves from the poison of negativity that is within our own hearts.

Radhanath Swami on GRATITUDE

A devotee with every breath should be remembering Krishna with gratitude.
A dog will recognize his master in whatever way he dresses. The master may dress in robes, suit and tie, or stand naked, but the dog will always recognize his master. If we cannot recognize God, our beloved master, when he comes in a different dress from another religion, then we are less than that dog
A grateful heart is a humble heart.
A grateful heart is not choosy or selective about a particular situation.
A grateful heart is the heart where the seed of bhakti will grow.
Always acknowledge the good in every person.
Any real civilization is based on the principles of respect and gratitude. On the basis of that respect and gratitude, there is morality, charity, and compassion.
Contentment lives only in the hearts of those who are grateful.
Gratitude doesn’t mean simply saying thank you. Real gratitude means reciprocation. If you are actually grateful to someone, you will reciprocate even if it means great sacrifice.
Gratitude is a divine virtue so important that no other divine virtue can exist without it.
Gratitude makes our heart soft. Gratitude fertilizes our heart. Gratitude enables the seed of Bhakti to grow.
In Bhakti we express gratitude through seva, selfless service. We say ‘thank you’, and live by that ‘thank you.’
Small families can become one big family recognizing God as their father.
The joy of the soul is in glorification of the beloved Lord of all creation.
The perfection of life is the ability to perceive and appreciate God’s love in every single aspect of this creation.
There is no access to Krishna outside of the order of the spiritual master. And if we are executing the order of the spiritual master, we should know that, whatever comes into our life, we should welcome it with gratitude and we should see that it is an opportunity for me to purify my consciousness.
When we expect anything it is the seed of suffering; a grateful life is a peaceful life.
When we stop thinking of “me” and “mine” and instead think of “ours”, our roots will hold strong in the soil of love, trust, and grace, reminding us that in giving we receive.

Radhanath Swami on HAPPINESS

A happy devotee is the best preacher and better than that is a temple full of happy devotees.
A selfless life, a devotional life, a life of compassion – that is what real happiness is.
By participating in wonderful festivals, we naturally lose all our attraction for the dry selfish pursuits of happiness in this world.
Dancing together in Kirtan can help us develop friendship that no meditation therapy can!
For a devotee death is not the end but just the beginning. Beginning of entrance into a realm of eternity. But for materialists, to death is simply an end. An end of everything they identify with.
Happiness is not in what we do, it is the gratitude and love in which we do it.
If we enjoy our happiness, then we will suffer our distress. If we tolerate our happiness, we will also be able to tolerate distress.
If we simply chant the Name of God, the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, we will find that great treasure of happiness, and we will have the ability to share that happiness with all.
If we take joy in our own greatness, it will be washed away by the waves of time. If we take pleasure in Krsna’s greatness, we dive into an ocean of spiritual joy.
Real happiness is in service. Accumulation does not satisfy the heart
Spiritual life is enjoyable, it is fun, it is wonderful. It’s not just an austerity. Spiritual life is the greatest excitement, the most dynamic, enjoyable, blissful lifestyle to live when we have the right environment around us.
The flip side of happiness is suffering
The happiness in serving is the happiness that material nature cannot impede because we can always serve in some way or the other.
There is enough happiness in this world to keep you attached to your sufferings.
Unless one is happy within one’s own heart, one cannot be happy no matter what one acquires
Whatever pleases the Lord that is our happiness even if it breaks our heart, even if it places us in an ocean of suffering, even if it is the most difficult and painful thing in all of creation to do. We will do it, if it pleases the Lord, that is Bhakti.
When God comes, the rains of His mercy fill our lives. Then all wonderful fortune and happiness from within are bestowed upon us by His divine mercy.
When Krsna sees that our real happiness is to facilitate other devotees in their efforts to please Krsna, we become dear to Him.
When we find joy in respecting others nothing can interfere with our happiness

Radhanath Swami on HEARING

By hearing the sublime teachings and narrations of the pastimes of the Lord from the lips of sincere and surrendered devotees, we learn the art of always remembering Krsna.
However great a devotee becomes in spiritual purification, he never dares to think that he is beyond the first step of hearing submissively.
Shravana refocuses our priorities, purifies the heart, and attracts divine grace.
If we develop eagerness to hear, chant and serve sincerely, then Krsna promises that He will remove all the shortcomings and anarthas from our heart, which are impossible for us to remove on our own.
When we really feel the necessity for transcendental knowledge or when we are eager, then our consciousness can digest it. When food is not digested, even if it is the best food, it has minimal value.
Eagerness to hear is an essential quality for spiritual progress.

Radhanath Swami on HOLY NAME

Congregational chanting of the holy name has the greatest curative power to heal the disease of human society and to bring our consciousness back to its essence.
Deep within the heart of each of us lies a seed of divine love waiting to sprout and fulfil its potential. Chanting the names of God nourishes that growth. Gradually, the seed sprouts, springs up, and blossoms into the everlasting flower of divine love.
Just like we need food for the body, we need food for the soul. And what is that food? Hearing and chanting God’s names in the association of saintly people. Otherwise, we will give in to temptations at the smallest instances and we will be weakened, spiritually.
Our personal spiritual practice, our sadhana, is so essential. It’s not just something we do when we have time, or something we somehow fit in with all of our other days activities. It’s the foundational basis of our spiritual lives. We should fit everything else around our spiritual practice. Chanting the holy names. Carefully studying Srila Prabhupada’s books.
The holy name does not kill the demon. It kills the demoniac tendencies in the heart of the demon and awakens pure love and compassion of the soul.
The power of the holy names will give us the mercy of God by which we can overcome all impossible obstacles.
The real goal of chanting Hare Krsna is pure, unmotivated and uninterrupted loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord.
Through chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, pure love awakens within our hearts and there is no power greater on earth than that love.
To the degree we develop a taste for hearing and chanting, to that degree we become detached from the sources of miseries of material life.
To the degree we don’t want to hear and chant, to that degree we NEED them desperately.
Unless we develop a taste for hearing and chanting, we cannot develop real taste for any other object of devotional service.
We have to look for shelter in the holy name, and then Krsna will give us shelter through the holy name.
We should have this conviction that the empowerment that I will have in my service is to the degree I can be absorbed in the holy name when I am chanting.
When one chants the names of the Lord and has faith in the names of the Lord, every situation becomes auspicious because of the pure consciousness.
When we chant in a way to please the Lord, that chanting bathes our heart in such a way that it awakens our dormant love of God.
How intensely we think of Krsna determines how quickly we become purified.
When there is an emergency our intensity for God increases.

Radhanath Swami on HUMILTY

“A new year is a land mark in our lives and a time for reflection on where we have been, where we are and where we want to go. It’s also time to ponder on our failures and mistakes in our spiritual lives. In the path of Bhakti every occasion and everything is for the purpose of transformation. If the previous year bought sufferings in our lives we can take solace in the fact that all sufferings and punishments in this world are for our healthy rectification. Today we need to meditate on what I really want in life.”
A humble heart is one that gives no resistance to the natural flow of grace. When we open ourselves to receiving divine grace, humility becomes effortless.
Actual dandavat is performed with the body, mind, words and heart to humble oneself in the presence of Krsna, who is living in the heart of other living beings.
All glories to Guru Maharaj means nothing left for you, no credit for us.
An essential virtue of humility is to accept others for what they are, despite differences.
Arrogance has no place in devotional service. Humility means to be grateful.
Caring for each other with patience, tolerance, and humility is part of what it means to walk a spiritual path.
Don’t try to see Krsna for your satisfaction but be seen by Krsna for His satisfaction.
Fierce determination and gentle humility are the ornaments which make one attractive in the eyes of Krsna.
Higher understanding comes when we pass by the gateway of this sloka Trnadapi sunicena. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not describe this verse as a detail of bhakti. This verse describes the foundational consciousness of our spiritual development.
However great a devotee becomes in spiritual purification, he never dares to think that he is beyond the first step of hearing submissively.
Humble like a straw in the street, tolerant like a tree, anxious to give all respect to others, no anticipation and expectation of any respect for oneself – this is a devotee.
Humility is a natural symptom of those who love God.
Humility means that one should not be anxious to have the satisfaction of being honored by others.
Humility means to always think of Krishna and not to always think of ourselves.
Humility of a spiritual nature doesn’t make us depressed. This humility empowers us because it is an inundation of the river of the Lord’s mercy.
I am for God, I am the lover of God, I am loved by God, I am the servant of God, I am the servant of the servant of God, and I am the well-wishing instrument of God’s love towards every living being, with all humility. The emergence of that realization is the greatest attainment in life
If somebody praises us and if we have any humility we will feel totally like a fool
If we actually understand, we become deeply humble with an eagerness to serve with no selfish motivation. That is knowledge. That is realization. That is the purpose of learning.
If we are truly humble , we will co-operate
In the path of Bhakti, we must be willing to be a humble person. Humility is the culmination of all knowledge and detachment.
It is better to correct the mistake than to live with it.
Mood of Vaikuntha is that we want to see everyone excel more than us.
Nature is speaking the highest glory of God at every moment if we just have the eyes to see and the ears to hear.
Pridelessness is negative good, humility is positive good.
Substance of Bhakti is surrender and humility.
Taking responsibility of others means to be selfless. We have to put aside our own well being and desires as secondary and to think primarily of what is best for the persons who are looking up to us.
The Bhagavad-Gita with its knowledge is there for everybody. Unless we have humility, devotion, and an eagerness to serve, we cannot digest the knowledge.
The law of gravity according to our understanding, “your false ego goes up, you fall down; you become humble, you go up”.
The more one makes spiritual advancement, the more one feels humble. As much as one’s devotion is superficial, that much he or she feels he or she is a great devotee.
The purpose of our life is to clean the environment of our heart. Humility is practical application of knowledge. When false ego collapses, material condition is vanquished.
Theoretical knowledge cannot touch the heart without humility. Material nature is static and spiritual nature is ecstatic. Real compassion means to understand what the needs for body, mind and soul are.
To protect any community, we need intelligence and to nourish it we need humility
To the degree you are enjoying honor, to that degree it is going to really hurt when there is dishonor. If you don’t really care about honor, then dishonor doesn’t hurt either.
True humility is a universal pride in the greatness of God and a genuine appreciation for the virtues of others.
We cannot imitate the Hanumana like activities of those who personally served Srila Prabhupada. But if we humbly serve like a squirrel in Lord Rama’s lila, we also will get Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.
We cannot understand God through intellectualism, philosophy or scholarship. It is only through humility and service that we can understand God. There is no other way.
We have the tendency to judge others by their surface appearance, and to find only their negative qualities. But if we search beneath the surface we discover that a myriad of strains mix together to create a particular person’s nature. The faults we perceive are likely to be the effect of circumstances, the psychological response to trauma, abuse, rejection, heartbreak, insecurity, pain, confusion, or disease.
We should not think we are better than a person addicted to meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication and gambling. We should consider ourselves more fortunate, not better. We are more fortunate and we should want to serve them by giving that fortune to them.
What really impresses the hearts of people is not miraculous feats but genuine humility, integrity and a true sense of love achieved through service.
When we point a finger at others, three fingers point back towards us. This means that before finding a fault with others, we should find three faults in ourselves.
Whoever we are, wherever we are, however we are, whatever our condition is, there is no impediment to attaining the perfection of life – if we are humble and sincere.

Radhanath Swami on INTEGRITY

If we compromise our integrity for the cheap thrill of this world, we are going to suffer miserably.
Save oneself before saving others; integral part of salvation is saving others.
Television – Parmatma is watching your show.
To live by sacred ideals is integrity.
To be truthful with others is honesty. To be truthful to ourselves is integrity.

Radhanath Swami on INTENTION

All the great tools that people learn in educational institutions are only as valuable as the ideals and intentions of the people utilizing them.
There is no losing on the spiritual platform if we have the right intent.
We can fool people around us but we can never fool Krsna because from within He is seeing our intention.
We hear words, God hears intentions.

Radhanath Swami on KNOWLEDGE

If you read every word of Srila Prabhupada’s purports with a sense of urgency, believe me these words will change your life.
Money is a type of wealth. But greater wealth than money is knowledge.
Real knowledge and education is not about storing masses of data in our brain; it means to have the wisdom to see every human being with equal vision.
The true use of our independence is to cultivate dependence on Krsna.

Radhanath Swami on KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS

Devotee who is our junior now might be our superior twenty years from now. So why not treat him like that now. That will be a good investment and also be pleasing to Krishna. Anyone coming to Krishna consciousness is very dear to Krishna.
Krishna consciousness is not for philosophical debate but for transforming the heart of people.
Krishna Consciousness means to actually be conscious of Krishna and how His energies are working and how His devotees are helping you. This is Krishna Consciousness.
Krsna consciousness does not simply mean to renounce pleasure. It means to direct our energies to that place where there is real pleasure.
Silence is Golden… the purport is to be silent means speak only about the Golden Avatar.
The lives of saints proves that God consciousness is practical, dynamic, exciting and supremely joyful.
We shouldn’t stop advancing in Krishna consciousness for the fear of fall downs, if Ajamila, Bharat Maharaj had not fallen and risen, they wouldn’t have been glorious in history.

Radhanath Swami on LEADERSHIP

Before we can save the drowning person, we must become proficient swimmers. If we become convinced of the need of genuine spirituality and practice it in our life, our words and our examples will have a powerful effect on those around us and the world at large
Great people try to hide their greatness and people who are not try to show the world how they are great.
Leadership is not a post to enjoy. If that is your idea then you will be a very miserable leader, a very exploitative person. Leadership is a very serious, significant responsibility of service to others.
Real civilization means that leadership makes every decision in harmony with the purpose of life.
The future of any society depends on how the leaders make every possible plan to protect, sustain and enliven its members on every possible level.
The greatest leader is not someone who is the only leader. The greatest leader is one who inspires others to be leaders.
The purpose of saintly people is to teach society how to utilize their talents, their gifts and their particular position to become liberated rather than become entangled, and how they can do great benefit for the world, rather than add to the world’s problems.
To be a leader means to have humility, to have respect and to serve the people that we are leading. And that type of character, that type of integrity not only brings real fulfillment to our own hearts, but also has a great effect on the lives of all the people around us…
To live a life of substance we must be willing to maintain the ideals in all circumstances
To want to take a position and receive the honor of that position, but to not perform the sacrifice that is expected of that position is hypocrisy.

Radhanath Swami on LOVE

According to the great saints of all tradition, a definition of love is the capacity to endlessly forgive…
All the conflicts in this world are simply born of people whose propensity to love is frustrated to different degrees.
All the conflicts in this world are simply born of people whose propensity to love is frustrated to different degrees.
As you may enjoy being swept away by the one you truly love, the bhakti texts tell us that the Supreme enjoys being overwhelmed by the love of each of His pure-hearted devotees.
Everyone is a child of God. God loves all of His children. If I wish to love God, I must learn to love those whom He loves.
Everyone is seeking pleasure. But there is only one pleasure that can reach the heart; the pleasure of experiencing its need to love and receiving love. We need love, that’s our nature.
God awards those who weathered all their differences to base their life on a higher principle, with deep affection and love for each other.
God is the father of all living entities. We are all His children. We must show our love for our father by how we treat our brothers and sisters. There’s no greater pleasure for a mother and father than seeing the children love each other.
God loves each of us whoever we are or are not, whatever we’ve done or not, nothing can change this one eternal truth: THE SUPREME LOVES US UNCONDITIONALLY AND ETERNALLY.
God reveals true love to the world through the lives of those who love Him.
If a spiritual person has love, peace, self-control & compassion, we can understand that he/she is actually connected properly to his/her roots…
If our desires, words and actions are offered in the spirit of service to the supreme Lord Sri Krsna, then Krsna will personally reciprocate with His love.
If we have love of God in our life, it really does not matter whether we don’t have anything or whether we have everything; we will be satisfied because of that love.
If we offer a drop, the Lord returns a bottomless ocean of His love in reciprocation.
If we serve someone with love and affection, blessings will pour from that person’s heart, without even asking.
If you think that nobody loves you, the problem is that you have not learnt how to love others. Because if you have learnt to love others, you will be satisfied millions of times giving love than looking for it. And when you give love, spontaneously and naturally people reciprocate. People love those who love them. It’s human nature.
In a person who understands the self, there can be no ego, there can be no hatred towards anyone. There can only be love, and there is compassion for those who are unfortunate. That is knowledge of the truth.
In the heart that harbors the weed of selfish greed, the flower of love cannot survive.
Krsna is only decorated by the love of His devotees and similarly for devotees, their only decoration is their heart full of love for Krsna.
Love can be a very mystical and mysterious thing because love springs from the very inner depths of our soul. It does not arise from the ever-changing tides of our mind or intellect.
Love is selfless when it’s given simply to please another without any expectation of return. Selfless love is offered in a spirit of gratitude, enthusiasm, and courage. It gives one the kind of inner satisfaction that makes all selfish pleasures pale by comparison.
Love is the most satisfying way to control the mind…Bhakti makes us single-minded when it awakens our innate spirit of love.
Love of God within our heart is not our property; it is Srimati Radharani’s property. It can be awakened only by Her grace. It has to be directed towards Krishna. When it is directed towards Krishna, it expands to the whole universe i.e., you love each and every part and parcel of Krishna.
Philosophy is meant to bring us to the platform by which we learn how to love.
Pure water means you don’t add anything but take all contamination, similarly pure love means you don’t put love, rather you take all dirt out of your heart; then you experience pure love of God.
Real love means service devoted to the welfare of another person, even if the person is inimical towards us.
The challenge of cooperation in today’s age of quarrel can be achieved by adjusting to every situation according to the higher principle of loving God.
The greatest power of those who are learned and realised is the power of love and the power to forgive.
The nature of love is to give; the nature of greed is to take.
The tragedy of the world is that generally people do not recognize how important and loved someone is until they die. Because we are so preoccupied and so distracted by so many so-called important things.
There cannot be hate in the heart of one who loves God.
There is no solution to worrying except finding the peace, the love, and the compassion in ourselves and being instruments of that compassion by connecting to that source that harmonizes everything.
Things can give pleasure to the mind and senses, but only love can give pleasure to the heart. And ultimately, that is what we are looking for.
To love Krsna, we must love everything that Krsna loves – to the same degree as we love Krsna.
To represent God means to represent Krishna’s affection in this world.
To the degree our actions are selfish, it cannot satisfy the heart. A selfless act is that in which we are truly giving ourselves for the object of our love.
We should let the full moon of God’s presence glow in our hearts to dispel darkness and clear clouds of ignorance. When we perceive all living beings as brilliant illuminant stars and God as full moon then the real beauty and love manifests in our lives.
Whatever Krishna does with us is to increase our quality of love for him.
When there is love in our heart, only love will come out.

Radhanath Swami on MAYA

Essentially the living entity within material existence has two choices. To be a puppet of maya on the strings of the three modes of material nature or to be a puppet of Krishna on the strings of His love, and compassion.
God is like the sun, the source of all light. If we turn our back towards the sun we will only get the shadow or darkness. As there is no darkness in the sun similarly there is no bad or evil in God; there is only good and love in God. However, when we turn our back towards Him, we see only ignorance, darkness and His absence.
If we examine our own lives, we find that sometimes we are being used as the instruments of maya, to create disharmony and discord among other Vaishnavas. We become the greatest enemy of Krishna, in the name of His devotee.
Inner fulfillment gives strength to fight maya.
It’s easy to say that you are in Maya. The real challenge is to inspire a person in such a way that he comes out of Maya.
Maya arranges the material world in a way to keep us away from Krishna.
Maya can sound just like Krsna; we cannot differentiate unless we are free from all motivations for material enjoyment.
Maya is so thorough, just like water. If there is one little crack, the water will just find its way immediately to that crack – the problem is our consciousness has so many cracks.
Maya’s job is to separate the sincere from the insincere.
This whole material existence is just a series of special effects to ultimately wake us up.
We must have fear of material entanglements because that fear will actually give us the impetus to avoid material sense gratification.
When we see a beautiful thing, what is it? It is just some light entering into our eyes making us mad. Or some frequency entering our ear, and we get mad. Or something scraping our tongue. And what is the tongue…just a lump of flesh waggling around. But when something touches its surface we go mad. This is what material enjoyment means, and we take it seriously.
The basis of all problems of economics, according to the greatest authorities in the subject is unlimited people with unlimited desires to enjoy the limited resources.

Radhanath Swami on MERCY

A devotee is pleased when he sees others receive the mercy of the Spiritual master and the Lord. He is never envious of anyone.
From the moment Krishna appeared in the material existence on this day of Janmashtami, through all of His Lilas and through these wonderful histories of Lord Sri Krishna it is revealed to us, how we can also become His devotees.
God is the center of everything. When we truly, honestly strive to make Him the goal of our life, God will be pleased with our endeavor even if we fail. He will give us all help, and even in the difficulties we endure in the process, He will bring us closer and closer to Him.
Gold is most malleable because it has least resistance, if we reduce our resistance in Krishna’s service, the current of Krishna’s mercy will easily flow through our heart.
Great souls are merciful. Srila Prabhupada was pleased with the little things that someone did, even if that person had all bad qualities. His being pleased was his mercy, because he knew that if he was not pleased, Krishna will not be pleased and if Krishna was not pleased there was no hope for that person’s spiritual advancement.
If one has little simplicity at heart, then one can achieve the mercy of a great soul and that becomes the very means to attain the life’s perfection.
Mercy means “to get what we do not deserve”.
Mercy means to receive something that you do not deserve.
Nothing is impossible for the one who receives the mercy of Guru and Gauranga.
Nothing spiritual can really be understood in truth without the mercy of the Lord. We cannot grasp Krsna by our intelligence, memory or any of our material talents or attributes. We use all these things in His service.
Our only qualification for performing devotional service is the causeless mercy of Lord Chaitanya.
Our spiritual advancement is based on how Krishna sees us.
The auspiciousness of any situation is how it brings us closer to Krishna.
The mercy of the Supreme is infinitely stronger than our egos, insecurities, and self-destructive tendencies so it’s neither helpful nor healthy to unduly castigate ourselves for our shortcomings.
There has never been a prison built by man that people haven’t figured out how to escape. But what kind of prison Krishna has created…no walls, no guards and although everyone is suffering in this world no one wants to get out.
To the degree we consider ourselves as instruments in the hands of the previous acaryas, to that extent, we facilitate the flow of mercy.
Two things are required to achieve Krsna’s mercy: the intervention of a devotee and our own sincerity.
Unless we hear very strictly with great faith to the order of our spiritual master, we will not understand what the mercy of Krishna is and how it is coming upon us.
Words of Spiritual Master are the energy of Lord Balrama.

Radhanath Swami on MIND

If we let our mind rule over us we will be defeated. The mind makes us lazy, dissatisfied and inattentive. Using our intelligence we must fight against this lethargy with enthusiasm.

Leading a God-centered life is simple and sublime, but because of our complicated minds, our tendency is to look for something more difficult because we feel that if it’s so easy, it must not work.
Man cannot be enlightened through any organization, creed, dogma, priest or ritual, nor through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through understanding the contents of his own mind, through observation, not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection
Mind is ones biggest enemy when uncontrolled, but majority of people put full faith on their enemy.
Selfishness, the incessant craving to be recognized, it’s the mind’s way of succumbing to the ego. It’s the symptom of the person who has really not tasted the sweetness of glorifying Krishna.
Spiritual advancement without mind control is simply an illusion.
The nature of the mind is to interpret non-essentials essential. The mind creates artificial needs, believing it cannot live without them. In this way we carry a great burden of attachments throughout our life. Attachment is itself a great burden on our minds. We may never understand the extent of the burden till we’re free of it. But if we find joy within, we can live a simple life, free of endless complications.
The world is a mirror of one’s own mind.
The worst tragedy is that the uncontrolled mind steals our consciousness away from Krsna and that is the beginning, the essence of all suffering.
To make spiritual advancement we have to be very attentive in our dealings with our mind.
We can only know to the extent that God reveals to us. Because factually, whatever we see, by the time it comes to our consciousness, it’s filtered through our contaminated mind and our bewildered ego. So what really can we know in truth? This is the condition of the soul.
Whether we fear pain and suffering or not, pain and suffering will come to everyone. Why not keep our minds focused on where we want to go?
You can conquer the whole world, the universe but if you cannot conquer your mind and senses, you are defeated in life.

Radhanath Swami on OPPORTUNITY

A person in transcendental consciousness sees positive opportunity in every situation of life.
Every moment is an opportunity to receive the highest mercy if we just have the right consciousness.
Every situation is an appropriate opportunity to celebrate the glory and mercy of God
Opportunities are always there for us to grow, opportunities are always there for us to come closer to each other & come closer to God – if we just look for them.
We should never complain, when things go wrong in our life. We should never blame this person or that person, we should see that everything is happening by the sweet will of the lord to give me the perfect opportunity to become His pure devotee.

Radhanath Swami on OPULENCE

Having free time is not opulence, it is a danger.
Opulence and material joy is nothing but suffering for the soul. The soul is in misery, as the mind and the senses are in the illusion of enjoyment.
To have tremendous power and still be humble like a blade of grass, that is opulence.

Radhanath Swami on PEACE

A man of God is like the ocean—undisturbed by the rivers that are coming in. The fullness of peace he experiences within is so great that the problems of the world he has to deal with and the suffering he has to go through become insignificant in comparison. But if you don’t have God, that suffering is the all and all of your life.
As long as we identify ourselves only as a product of this material existence, there can be no real peace.
The purpose of disturbances in our life is to break us from our complacency, to give us a sense of really needing to dive deeper into the constant current of truth that is steady and peaceful.
We can’t artificially make harmony just by peace treaties. Real harmony has to be based on truth: what we really have in common, what our real connection to each other is.

Radhanath Swami on PLEASURE

In every situation, the way to analyze real pleasure is to evaluate how we are connecting with Krsna and how we are giving pleasure to Krsna.
In this world, all pleasures are sources of pain.
Real tolerance is not just tolerating for the sake of tolerating. Its tolerating difficulties in order to give pleasure to Krishna and to serve others.
Sometimes the river flows very strong, sometimes it flows very small, but it makes no difference to the ocean, because it is satisfied in itself with its own quantity of water. Similarly, when our heart is cleansed with spirituality, we find a pleasure and ecstasy with our own selves that is so sweet, so wonderful, and so satisfying that the so-called pleasures of this world no longer have any value, no appeal at all.
To please the Lord is the only standard of victory and to displease the Lord is a failure, even if we gain the whole world.
You may have all kinds of pleasures, but one pain. And that one pain becomes prominent. You may have all kinds of pain, but one pleasure. And that pleasure will be insignificant.

Radhanath Swami on POWER

The great thing is not having power; the great thing is how you use your power. Are you using the power in such a way that you gain genuine inner fulfillment, enlightenment and are improving the physical, emotional, ethical and spiritual quality of others?
The greatest power of God is grace. The grace of God could lift one up even from a very fallen, miserable situation and give one entrance into the realm of eternity.
The greatest power of those who are learned and realised is the power of love and the power to forgive.
To have tremendous power and still be humble – that is greatness.
When you take a position, you have to accept responsibilities.

Radhanath Swami on PRAYER

Absorb ourselves in the supreme of all prayers, the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, fix our mind begging for service and begging for the power to please the Lord by our service, because in essence the success of our service is how we please Krishna.
Certain situations are extremely painful and our intelligence fails to reason how this could be a blessing of the Lord. At such times we could try humbly submitting a prayer, *“Oh God, please give me the strength to see this situation as your mercy although my intelligence fails to see it so.”* This way we can tap the so far concealed grace of the Lord, and develop gratitude for all inconceivable situations that God arranges for us in our lives.
The highest prayer is the prayer to become a selfless instrument in God’s hands.
The person who survives the clutches of maya is the person who prays each and every moment for Krsna to save him.

Radhanath Swami on PREACHING

A happy devotee is the best preacher and better than that is a temple full of happy devotees.
Preacher is an instrument of compassion, not an instrument of wrath
Preaching means to see whatever little spark of bhakti is there in someone and fan it into a blazing fire, which will burn all the anarthas and make him a great devotee.
Preaching means to somehow engage people in appreciating Krishna.

Radhanath Swami on PRIDE

As soon as we think that I am better than anyone in any way, the snake of pride enters our heart and we are swallowed by maya.
Every choice we make in life creates habits and conditionings, and the greatest conditioning is false pride.
If someone calls us Prabhu (master), we should think, “This person is so elevated that he can see even me as Prabhu”. We should not think, “Everyone is calling me Prabhu. It must be true”.
If we say everything belongs to God but use everything for ourselves, then we imply that we are God.
If we think that we are better than any other devotee, there is something seriously wrong with our heart.
Inability to find faults in ourselves is a sign of pride, and it is a wall between Krsna and us.
Krishna exalts those who are humble and humbles those who exalt themselves
To be proud of one sinlessness in front of God is also a sin.
To be proud of our righteousness is also a sin.
We will remain in the material world as long as we believe that our conception of right or wrong is perfect.
When pride comes we are already fallen, what comes after that is a detail.
When there is pride in our heart, Krsna no longer takes any pleasure in anything that we do.
When we have a lot of material opulence, we think we deserve everything that we want.

Radhanath Swami on PURITY

Krsna is all pure, that is why hearing about Krsna purifies us.
The fire of anxiety for guru and Krsna purifies us.
There’s no one more dear to Krishna than one who helps and who’s willing to make all sacrifices to purify others of their sins.
When something is pure, it is natural. When something is contaminated, it is unnatural. So purity of the heart means going back to our natural state of loving God.

Radhanath Swami on RELATIONSHIP

Bhakti yoga is the science of transforming material into spiritual by harmonizing our relationships, talents and property in devotion to the Lord.
Everything is vanishing around us. The only reality is our relationship with Krsna.
God has created everything transcendental. It is simply our failure to see the relationship of everything with Krsna that makes everything material.
Our chanting will not uplift our consciousness unless we have co-operative affectionate relationships with each other.
The tears of separation between two Vaishnavas, when they are based on knowledge and truth, are one of the most elevated and one of the most purifying of all spiritual experiences.
When spiritual ideals form the foundation of a relationship, the relationship can survive whatever challenges may arise.
Whenever we know ourselves spiritually, we naturally know others too, we know them in their spiritual essence, and then our relationships are deep, forever, and limitlessly meaningful.

Radhanath Swami on RELIGION

Religion must have a scientific, philosophical basis to actually convince us in the right way to act. Philosophy without religion is mental speculation. Simply speculation of the mind and philosophical expertise does not change the heart. There must be a sense of devotion. There must be a sense of dedication. That is Sanatana Dharma.
The diverse religions and races bring beauty to the world if we truly understand in our hearts the essence of who we are and what we stand for. And that really is the essence of spirituality.
When religion is studied scientifically it will transcend all sectarian boundaries.
The Supreme Lord speaks the truth and to the degree we follow that truth, we are intelligent.

Radhanath Swami on RESPECT

Even if you want one drop of respect you have to take birth in this material world again.
Real protection is an expression of real affection and respect
To the degree we expect respect, only to that degree we will be quarrelsome.
We can respect other living entities only when we realise that Krishna is residing in their hearts.

Radhanath Swami on SATISFACTION

Even our greatest achievements are hollow unless we’ve achieved a measure of inner satisfaction.
If you are full and deep within, none of the external forces can disturb you. But if you are empty, you are completely affected by everything that comes in your life.
In family life, the most fulfilling thing a person could do is live a legacy for the children, a legacy that will bring fulfillment, a legacy that will bring values.
Renunciation or detachment means to be self-satisfied – that is, we don’t need anything. When we are not self-satisfied, the soul tries to find satisfaction somewhere else. If we are not finding satisfaction in our love for God and our compassion for all living beings, we are going to expect it from somewhere else.
To be illumined within, to rejoice within, that’s where the ocean is, which is so deep in satisfaction that anything that happens on this external superficial world doesn’t really matter so much.

Radhanath Swami on SELF AWARENESS

As we develop a deeper self-awareness, we learn to acknowledge suffering without identifying with it. Eventually we even transcend it.
Replace behaviours that impede growth with behaviours that nourish it, and the flower of self-realization will bloom.
When we hear a spiritual discourse, we may feel we already know it but when it comes to application we forget it. Thus it’s very important to practice spirituality for practical application of spiritual knowledge.

Radhanath Swami on SELFISHNESS

Materialism is the consciousness of wanting to exploit and enjoy
The real disease is selfishness and the real cure is selfless service.
What keeps us bound to this world is our very deep rooted tendency to take credit for the good we do, to take credit for the good that we don’t do, and to give blame for the bad that we do.
Every time one tries to enjoy material nature, one becomes imperceptibly conditioned and habituated to that.
Finding faults is sense gratification.
Lust means trying to enjoy in ignorance.
Sense gratification means we are using the instrument (human body) meant for liberation and using it for our bondage.

Radhanath Swami on SERVICE

A sincere soul is not trying to make a show. His enthusiasm is an act of service
Actually when your heart is pained to see the suffering of others, it awakens actual spiritual ecstasy, Why? As it is pleasing Krishna and we are sharing Krishna’s spirit of love in a mood of servitude.
By sincerely serving the instructions of great souls in a mood of humility Krsna is pleased and gives us the higher taste for hearing and chanting.
Every action in Krsna’s service is considered “inaction” and is not bound to karma.
Every thought, word, deed performed in an attempt to find happiness apart from our service to God, further binds us, covers us and entangles us in ignorance
Gold is most malleable because it has least resistance, if we reduce our resistance in Krishna’s service, the current of Krishna’s mercy will easily flow through our heart.
If we do something, we should do it for the right reason, for the service of Krsna. If we do it in the service of Krsna, we can’t go wrong.
It is not by austerities, but by humble service of the devotees, by which we can please the Lord.
Its our service attitude that attracts Krishna to empower us to taste the sweetness of the holy name, to be able to actually experience and see the beauty of the holy dham.
Our Spiritual progress depends on Service Attitude & our Sincere Chanting.
Real renunciation, whether one is a sannyasi, vanaprastha, grihastha or brahmachari, is to use the body, mind, words and life in the service of Krishna, vaisnavas and other living beings.
Religious and spiritual leaders should be held accountable for environmental activism, not only because they have access to large communities and can influence votes, but because service is integral to religious and spiritual life
Selfishness is our enemy. Yet we are so inclined to fall into that state of mind. The cure is to serve.
Service does not mean I do what I want, when I want. Service means whatever makes Krishna happy.
Service is the most beautiful expression of the heart.
Telling people of some wonderful service that we have done in a boastful way, nullifies the credit of the service. May not be on the eternal platform, but in our conscious condition we won’t be able to reap the real benefits of that service
The joy of bhakti is experienced to the degree we are selfless in our service.
The more we advance in Krsna consciousness, the more we have to strengthen our service attitude, in order to bear the weight of responsibility.
The power that we have, the knowledge and influence that we have are beautiful gifts from GOD to be utilised to serve each other unconditionally.
There is no big or small service by external considerations. Big and small are seen by Krishna only in reference to the content of our sincerity and the purity of our love.
To the degree we want to serve, to that degree, gradually, according to our sincerity we eliminate all suffering.
We can sit in classes and hear very nice theoretical philosophy and we can have great conviction of our intelligence. That is very good and important. But factually, unless that philosophical conviction generates a sense of enthusiasm within one’s heart for the service of the Lord, it is like an empty decoration.
We should understand that this desire to be the controller, the enjoyer, and the proprietor, it is the venom of the snake of illusion. It kills one’s propensity for the loving service of the Supreme Lord.
We shouldn’t be ambitious for positions; rather, we should be ambitious for service.
Wherever we find the teachings, the association, and the inspiration to purify our lives, to lead a life of integrity and humility, and to live in a spirit of selfless service that’s where we are going to find the deepest experience of God.
Our humble service attitude in our life is what determines what effect chanting will have on our consciousness. Otherwise we can be chanting for millions and millions of births before we actually achieve the goal

Radhanath Swami on SHELTER

From the darkest situation the brightest light appears if we take shelter of God.
One who learns to take shelter of Krishna can be peaceful and protected in any situation.
The biggest cause of anxiety is the feeling that I am the controller. If we sincerely take shelter of Krishna, there will be no anxiety because we will realize that Krishna is the controller.
The tendency in this world is that something has to thoroughly shake us up for us to really take shelter of the Lord.
The tendency in this world is that something has to thoroughly shake us up for us to really take shelter of the Lord.
What we are attached to, that is what we take shelter of.. during death.

Radhanath Swami on SINCERE

Bhakti is not determined by our material qualifications or disqualifications. It is simply determined by our sincerity.
By hearing Krsna-katha in association of sincere devotees, we should pray for real sincerity. We should long for real sincerity.
Higher taste does not come simply by our endeavor. It comes by Krishna’s grace. We cannot achieve it by our practice. But by the sincerity of our endeavor we can attract Krishna’s grace. And by that mercy alone, Srimati Radharani’s mercy – we are given Bhakti.
Impediments that come in life serve to strengthen the sincere and eliminate the ones who are not sincere.
In whatever position we may be in, if we are just sincere, there is no impediment to receive the Lord’s mercy.
Proof of sincerity is when a superior vaisnava gives us instructions, we do not plan to avoid it, but rather to fulfill it.
Taking vows doesn’t bring us closer to God but keeping them does.
The reality is that we can serve anywhere. If we are sincere, no material situation is an impediment to bhakti.

Radhanath Swami on SOUL

“It’s not the body that people love, but the soul. The body is a temporary vehicle. Without the soul, the body is like a car without a driver. I see through my eyes, smell through my nose, taste through my tongue, hear through my ears, feel through my skin, think through my brain, and love through my heart. But who am I? Who is the witness, enjoyer and sufferer that activates my body?”
Soul is like the moon. All the situations in our lives, relationships, youth etc. are like the clouds. Time is like the wind. Just like the wind moves the clouds, time moves all the situations in our life. But the soul is always the same. So we should focus on the eternal soul and not on the temporary situations. One who focuses on the soul is a moon like person.
Suffering of the soul means to be without Krishna.
The art of living is to achieve a balance between the awkwardness of our body and the elegance of our soul.

Where there is no inner freedom, there is no life.

Radhanath Swami on SUCCESS

“To achieve success in our lives, we need strength beyond ourselves and association of sincere souls. We also need to resolve to take shelter of the holy names of God and soberly remember that today we are one year closer to death. At the same time we need to meditate on our purpose in life and that will guarantee an eternal life, beyond the temporary existence of this world.”
A really successful person is one who sees a positive opportunity in every situation in life. Even in the darkest tragedies and traumas, there must be something to learn, some wisdom, some growth, some opportunity.
Every failure contains a seed of success.
The real definition of success from spiritual perspective is when one is able to seek the essence and see the hand of God in every situation.
Without being self-controlled, disciplined and fully obedient, no one can become successful.

Radhanath Swami on SURRENDER

Saranagati is to come to terms to the truth that I am helpless without Krishna’s shelter.
Substance of Bhakti is surrender and humility.
Surrender simply means to make Krsna’s will our own.
Surrender sounds horrible to one who wants to be a controller, but it is the sweetest and most pleasing of all words for a devotee who has a humble heart. For some it is a bitter medicine; for devotees it is sweet nectar.
The current of transcendental power, knowledge and mercy can flow through one who surrenders to God.
The intrinsic problem in trying to enjoy this world is…we are not the controller.
Unless we surrender to Krishna, we remain in various levels of illusion.
Taking guru’s order means accepting Krishna in the heart.
Word of spiritual master is the energy of Balarama.

Radhanath Swami on TIME

Every moment is perfect and sacred, and a divine power has engineered it in some imperceptible way and woven it into our intricate tapestry of life for our spiritual progress.
For the imperishable soul, this lifetime is just a single pencil point in a long line of many lifetimes.
If one is serious about making spiritual advancement, one must discipline his time.
Not a moment in human life passes when actions are not accounted for.
Take the precious moments that we have very seriously and invest them in the best possible way. This is true intelligent and wisdom.

Radhanath Swami on TOLERATE

Dealing with negativity in a positive way is called tolerance.
Devotees may be going through a very difficult time, but you don’t know who they are. Many advanced devotees today were externally non-devotees some years ago.
Our spiritual life is nourished by taking some inconvenience for higher purpose, and we can only survive by tolerating inconvenience.
Tolerance is the ability to forgive, even when we are offended.
Tolerance means to fix our mind, to fix our words, & our actions on a higher principle.

Radhanath Swami on UNITY

If our mind is in conflict, not balanced with our body and with the needs of the soul, then there is a fundamental disunity in our life. Only if we have unity within ourselves, we can create unity in the world around us. You can’t give something you don’t have, even if you have all good intentions.
Just creating people who can earn, who can invent, is not going to help the world in itself unless people become holistic, unless people become united with their own inner spiritual nature and act with dynamic compassion in this world on that basis.
There is no possibility of any real type of unity or congenial relationship unless there is forgiveness.
We become unified when, despite all of our diversity, we see and agree on a common higher principle. Without this higher principle, we will remain focused on our insignificant differences which appear insurmountable to us.
We take so many little things so seriously, we take all of our differences so seriously because we are not aware of our oneness. Our oneness is in our common relationship with the supreme object of all love, God. To realize that oneness, to understand that oneness can create unity in diversity.

Radhanath Swami on WISDOM

Being criticized is normal, very much part of life, if we shy away from acting, fearing for being criticized, Even for that also one will be criticized, therefore choosing for what we want to be criticized is making the best use, choosing is our right and criticizing is their habit.
Education means to bring out what is within you.
Every time we make an immoral choice, we become more addicted to immorality.
Familiarity not only brings contempt, but also offense.
It’s too late to avoid the reactions, but not too late to come to the right conclusions.
One of the great mistakes that we commit is short-sightedness.
One thing is certain, uncertainity of our life.
We need to have power of discrimination to understand what are the qualities that we should really look up to and adore.
When we know that we don’t know anything, it means we know something, but when we know that we know something, it means we don’t know anything. This is spiritual geometry.
Wisdom is to transform curses into blessings, challenges into opportunities; it is just a matter of how we interpret the situations.
When you trust a friend who is actually your enemy, then he can create a greatest damage. Ignorance is our greatest enemy.