Category: Insights

How to Connect to the Divine? Radhanath Swami Explains…

Question to Radhanath Swami: It is said that God is present everywhere. But I don’t perceive his presence anywhere. Can you explain?

Radhanath Swami: To connect to the divine presence of God within ourselves and within everything that exists cannot be done with our senses, no matter what microscopes or telescopes we use, no matter how many degrees we have or how many books we memorize.

Isn’t there Hidden Selfishness on the Spiritual Path? Let’s see what Radhanath Swami says…

Question to Radhanath Swami: When we say prayers or when we do any good deed, it is recommended that we have no selfish motive. But at the back of our mind, we want purification etc. That “I” is coming again. How do you explain that? How do we say that we don’t have a selfish motive?

Radhanath Swami: Because the true “I” is not selfish. The egoistic “I” is selfish, but the spirit “I” is not selfish. Our real “I”, that “I am a servant” is not a selfish conception. That “I am a controller and enjoyer” is a selfish conception.

Whether to go to the Monastery or to go Home? Radhanath Swami Answers

Question to Radhanath Swami: It is said that on the path of bhakti there is no need to give up anything. Then why are there monks on the bhakti path?

Radhanath Swami: The real question is simply how we could best serve. Even monks, they are not lazy. Each monk in the monastery has so much work, so many responsibilities, and so many duties to perform. Similarly gåhastas, the householders, have so many duties and responsibilities to perform.

What does it mean to have self respect? Radhanath Swami provides a new Perspective….

Question to Radhanath Swami: In bhakti, it is said that we should be devoid of ego. At the same time, people feel that one should have self-respect. So can you please tell the difference between self-respect and ego?

Radhanath Swami: Respect for the true self rather than the temporary false self is real self-respect; it is to live in harmony with our own inner virtue. Lord Chaitanya, who played the role of a devotee, said, “I am neither a brähmaëa, nor a kñatriya, nor a vaiçya, nor a çüdra (the classification of Vedic society according to occupation.) I am neither a brahmacäré, nor a gåhasta, nor a vänaprasth, nor sannyäs (classification of Vedic society according to orders of life.)”

Mutual Glorification in Spiritual Circles; What is it all About? Radhanath Swami Clarifies…

Question to Radhanath Swami: When one Vaishnava, a devotee of the Supreme Lord, praises another devotee’s devotional qualities, what should be the mood of one praising, and what should be the mood of one accepting the praise?

Answer by Radhanath Swami: Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur condemned flattering. .In the material world people praise others because they want to get something in return for that praise: one sometimes praises a politician because one wants help from that politician’s political powers; one sometimes praises a rich man because one hopes to get some money from that rich man.