Radhanath Swami on Love

Whatever your way of life may be, whether a businessman or a doctor or a lawyer, or whether it is housewife or a student or whether you have wife and children. And it is not that you must necessarily give up your responsibilities in this world; because there is a need for all these various professions for human society to function. But the greatest need for the people who are engaging in these activities are; doing it with the understanding of truth. Because truth awakens love, mercy and selfless service to all others, and that is the greatest need. In this world, there is not enough love, compassion and truth. In this world if that was there, everything else would have been provided. All shortages are due to greed and envy if you examine the situation of our planet today. So therefore to perform your duty in this state of divine consciousness, the consciousness of love, which is within you, that is the great gift, which is available in your life. So please we are not concerned with converting a person from one religion to another, we are not concerned with recruiting members. We are simply concerned with enlightening the persons to truly take advantage of the opportunity to realize the principles of universal truth and love; that is within your own heart. Thank you very much!

-H.H.Radhanath Swami

Radhanath Swami on Prema Bhakti

The treasure of prema-bhakti (pure loving devotion) is the only thing that satisfies the soul. It is the only true goal of life. It is the only eternal position. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu explains you cannot find that treasure of prem-bhakti even in the scriptures. There is only one place it is to be found. The essence of the scriptures is that and that alone. But you can only find it in the hearts of the devotees who have surrendered their lives in the dust of the lotus feet of the Vaishnavas. To those devotees, Krishna is manifesting the essence of all shastra, the essence of the truth. Without gaining the favor of such devotees, the treasure of prema-bhakti is unattainable by anyone. This is the great esoteric mystic teaching in the school of bhakti. Yasya prasadad bhagavat prasado yasya prasadan na gatih kuto api. Simply by pleasing our guru maharaj, simply pleasing the exalted Vaishnavas, Krishna is pleased and when Krishna is pleased only is the treasure of prema-bhakti revealed in our hearts.

- H.H.Radhanath Swami

Radhanath Swami on serving two masters

Even when Krishna comes to this world, materialistic people find faults in Him. So do you think you are better than Krishna? Do you think they are not going to find fault in you? If you become a nice materialist some other class of nice materialist will find fault in you and the devotees will think you are crazy. If you enjoy your senses the devotees say you are in Maya you are a rascal and if you chant in Kirtan, the materialist will say you are insane. You are gone crazy. Therefore Lord Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. You will either be loved by one or be hated by the other. You have to choose your master. Then he said you cannot love God and mammon simultaneously. Similarly Lord Sri Krishna explains in this verse that what is night for all beings is the time of the awakening for the self-controlled. Therefore in Krishna Consciousness this is our great ambition ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saḿsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead. We have no other concern. Whether we make profit or whether we make loss, whether we are successful or whether we fail, whether the world loves us or the world condemns us…we are not concerned, we will do our best for Krishna’s sake and if it is pleasing to Him, then our life is perfect. That is all.

Serious movement for serious people

So when we take to Krishna Consciousness on the basis of guru, sadhu and shastra, we have to understand what is truth and what is real. On the basis of guru, sadhu and shastra, we have to live our life. You see, Krishna Consciousness, this is a serious movement for serious people. Prabhupada said better one moon than millions of stars because however many stars are there in the sky, they give no light. But the full moon lights up the entire atmosphere. There is no need for lights in the full moon. The light rays of the moon are so powerful that they light up the whole earth. Yet the rays are cool and refreshing. They are sweet like nectar. So better one full moon than millions of stars or millions of electrical bulbs. Srila Prabhupada used to say if I told people what they wanted to hear…I could have millions of followers. But because I am speaking the truth of what they need to hear to purify their lives most people are against me and only a few serious people want to surrender to God utterly because that is what I am teaching that we must live for Krishna that we must surrender to the divine will of Krishna and that surrender means to put aside our own preconceived ideas of what will make us happy to put aside our own false-ego to put aside our natural affinities and attachments and try to please our guru and Krishna. In this world we are brain-washed to want to be the master to be the enjoyer but in Krishna Consciousness we are taught to be subordinate.