Radhanath Swami on Holy Names of God

In the present age quarrel and hypocrisy are predominant. We always find unlimited reasons to disagree with others and unlimited reasons to have conflict with others. To get out of this miserable condition we need to develop transcendental love within our hearts for God and all living beings. The greatest benediction of the present age is that God has descended in His Holy names. If we sincerely chant the Holy names of the God and cultivate the devotional spirit of humility, forgiveness and service attitude then we can develop love for God and other living beings. Many great saints descended on the earth to teach us this higher principle of developing love for God by sincerely chanting the Holy names of the God. However, we cannot really chant the names of God from our hearts unless we have humility and genuine desire for a service attitude towards others.

Radhanath Swami on Reciprocation with God

God descends in this world again and again in so many ways because He loves us and cares for us. He is inviting us to come back. But unfortunately we are not reciprocating with God’s love. We try to enjoy independently in this world by disobeying the laws of God. However, we need to understand that everything present in this world - every leaf, every tree, every human being, every animal, every insect, every star in the sky, etc, are God’s energies. We should also understand that God is our best well-wisher. So in every situation should serve Him as an opportunity for us to reciprocate with God’s love. If we develop such a loving relationship with God then this world will become like the spiritual world.

Radhanath Swami on Academic Knowledge

The great tools that are taught in modern technological institutes are only as valuable as the ideals and intentions of a person's utilization of them. The most dangerous people in the world are not the uneducated peasants but the people who are highly educated, but having filthy, dirty hearts filled with envy, pride and hatred. They are the greatest dangers to the world. Academic knowledge is a facility, a tool. The more powerful the tool, the more it could either do benefit or harm depending on whose hand it is in. So the purpose of religious buildings is to educate people to be first-class human beings, people who can actually be examples of integrity and spiritual principles. When you go to that type of temple, church, mosque or gurudwara, where you actually get that higher consciousness, then life becomes very deep and substantial.

Radhanath Swami on Supreme Welfare

Many of us are interested in welfare work. There are many types of welfare work or charity. Feeding the poor is a very noble effort. Clothing the poor, healing the sick - these are all very important and essential parts of civilized life. Humanity which is based on civilized thinking means that we must be compassionate - we should share what we have with the people who do not have. But the supreme welfare is to enlighten people's souls through the sound vibrations of the names and glories of God. Every living entity is the child of God. And therefore it is the prime duty of every human being to revive one’s eternal relationship with the Supreme. The greatest welfare service for the whole world is spreading the glories of the Lord through the process of hearing and chanting. This is the greatest charity - to heal a man’s soul so that he never has to take birth again in this world.

Radhanath Swami on Pursuing Real Knowledge

There is a saying, “physician heal thyself". Unless we enlighten our own souls, what can we do for others? This is a world where the blind are leading the blind. And what happens when the blind lead the blind? They all fall in a ditch together. We have many universities where the professors and students take very seriously a variety of subject matters but is there a single university that seriously teaches the goal of life, or who God is? And how we can remember Him at all times? How to find eternal peace that is dormant within us? Knowledge is power. And misdirected knowledge is the most powerful agent leading to destruction. But the knowledge which is directed to the pursuit of truth, that knowledge has the greatest power of healing, the greatest power to create peace, prosperity and enlightenment within society. So there is no need to disregard or to relinquish the types of education that we have today. But we must give an understanding of the truth, so we can perform our duty in pursuance of truth. And in this way we can actually help ourselves and help others.

Radhanath Swami on Pessimism and Realism

Suppose a doctor tells a patient: “My dear Sir, you have cancer. And if you take the treatment right way, you can be saved from this disease. Otherwise you are going to suffer and die”. And after hearing this, suppose the patient says: “Why are you so pessimistic? Why are you criticizing me?” But this is not pessimistic. It’s realistic. The patient may be very happy and healthy now, but the cancer is there. The compassionate doctor is not concerned about the current state of health. His concern is for the future of the patient. After all, people smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol. It feels good, so they do it. But what does the doctor tell them? “You may get lung cancer or you may get heart disease. Stop doing it.” Similarly, people are so intoxicated by the so called pleasures of life that they do not understand that birth, old age, disease, and death are imminent and are surely going to come upon them. That’s not pessimistic, it’s realistic.