Radhanath Swami on A Divine Society

Today there are so many social events - people come to hear materialistic music together, people come to dance together, people come to drink together, to eat together, to go to the cinemas, to go to the concerts, to go to the sporting events. People are so foolish that they do not take out time to regularly associate with the saintly people and to hear and chant the glories of the Lord. But the real purpose of the society is to give people opportunity to come together to hear the glories of the Lord, to chant and dance for the glorification of the names of the God and to take the holy food offered to the Lord together. And to the degree this is missing from our society, to the same degree there will be terrible sufferings in this world.

Radhanath Swami on Maintaining Spiritual Strength

Just as we regularly eat to maintain physical strength, similarly, we should regularly associate and chant for spiritual strength. The supreme most important responsibility for every human being is to come together to hear the glories of the Lord and to chant His holy name. But it should be done under the direction of genuine saintly persons who are humble servants of God and of previous saintly persons. If we do not regularly have the association of saintly people, if we do not hear and chant the glories of the Lord regularly then we will not be able to maintain our spiritual strength.

Radhanath Swami on Associating with the Holy Name

The Lord is eternally manifested in the sound of His name. He is inviting everyone to simply take this holy name and share it amongst one another. And through this process we can always experience the divine presence of the Lord in our life. This process will purify our hearts and we can attain eternal love and eternal peace. The greatest fortune in anyone’s life and the most precious opportunity in all of creation is to come together to chant the holy names of God. We should chant the holy name with great enthusiasm and great feeling. And we should live our life in such a way that we attract the mercy of the Lord. If we associate with the holy name in the spirit of submission then the holy name will quickly transform our minds to the spiritual world.

Radhanath Swami on Spiritual Advancement

As we make spiritual advancement, our false pride diminishes and ultimately disappears. In the beginning stages we can tell we are making advancement because we are chanting the names of the Lord. But on a more subtle and higher level we can understand our advancement by how we are actually taking joy in giving respect and honor to others and how we are not taking joy in being respected and honored ourselves, even if it comes. If it comes we don't take it, we accept it on behalf of our spiritual master and God because we know that it’s not for us. This is the sign of a pure devotee.

Radhanath Swami on Power of the Holy Name

We may have so many justifications and excuses for not practicing devotion. We may think that I am born in the western world, or I live in a very materialistic society, I have a family, I have a wife, I have children and so many different excuses we may have. But in the history of mankind we have seen that even though a person may be very fallen if he takes shelter of God then he attains pure love of God. Every single one of us can achieve the ultimate destination - not by our power but by the power of God’s mercy, by the power of His name. God’s name is so powerful and attractive that irrespective of whatever we have been in all our previous lives or in this life, it can purify us. So simply hear about Him from sincere devotees and chant the holy names.

Radhanath Swami on Humble Lovers of God

The nature of a devotee is to think himself very unworthy of God's mercy. Actually if we feel ourselves to be very fallen then we naturally fall in love with God. We have to fall in love with God; we can’t ascend to love God. When we consider ourselves very fallen and unqualified then we take shelter of God with humility, and then God reciprocates with us. If we simply chant the Lord’s holy names sincerely, we become gentle and humble lovers of God and servants of all living beings. Even the most crooked mentality can be utterly purified simply by chanting the holy names.

Radhanath Swami on Superficial Living

How many friends do you have who can honestly, sincerely, confidentially reveal their minds to you? Not many. People in this world have a tendency for very superficial relationships with one another because it is a superficial society. The natural surroundings that bring about a natural lifestyle are so hard to find. We are living in a society of concrete, oil and plastic and exhaust fumes, and so much quarrelling for unnecessary paraphernalia and sense enjoyment. Where do you find natural water? You have to buy it in a bottle, imported from 100 miles away. Where do you find natural air? The basic ingredients of our life - natural air and water - they are nowhere to be found. We have to go great distances just to breathe properly. And, of course, we are a product of our environment, we become like what we associate with. Therefore we become very artificial, very superficial, very unnatural. And therefore our relationships with one another are of the same quality, unfortunately. In these circumstances, how wonderful it is that God reveals His mind to us in the scriptures, and that He loves each one of His children intimately!