Tag: servant

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.

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.)”