Spiritual Questions and Answers with Radhanath Swami
You can find him on Google+
Question to Radhanath Swami: After reading spiritual books, it becomes very difficult to read academic books; they now seem boring! What shall I do for that?
Radhanath Swami responds: If we want to use our academic knowledge in the service of God, then the combination of the two can be very effective. The Holy Scriptures and the messages of the holy men teach us what we should strive for and how to strive for it.
Question to Radhanath Swami: Why people don’t believe in God? How can we make people believe in God?
Radhanath Swami: The nature of everyone is to believe in God. But because of conditioning in this material world people want to be the enjoyer rather than the servant, and when that enjoying spirit becomes like a fever, they consider God as an impediment;
Question to Radhanath Swami: Even when we are doing business, we are exploiting others in one sense. So by the laws of karma, are we going to get reactions for all that?
Radhanath Swami: In this world, exploitation is inevitable. Just to survive, people are exploiting each other. But we should try, as far as possible, not to do that beyond what’s necessary. In business our motivation should not be to destroy others.
Question to Radhanath Swami: How to develop appreciation for deities?
Radhanath Swami: Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswathi Thakur, a prominent saint and ourparam guru, instructed us, “Do not try to see Lord Krishna. Try to serve Lord Krishna so that He wants to see you.” We should not think the deity as an object of our enjoyment. We should approach the deity thinking we are an object of His enjoyment.
Why Worship Deities
Question to Radhanath Swami : If God is omnipresent, why worship a Deity?
Radhanath Swami : If God is omnipresent is he not in the Deity too? Be honest and realistic, not to me, but to yourself. Are you able to fix your mind in love and devotion on God present everywhere and in everything? Difficult, isn’t it?
Question to Radhanath Swami: What is the difference between mind and intelligence?
Radhanath Swami: Lord Krishna speaks about his energies in the Bhagavad Gita. “Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.” Out of these, earth, water, fire, air and ether are gross energies, or the gross elements of creation. The other three—mind,
