Radhanath Swami on Bringing A Change

To a certain extent we have the power to change our environment. But ultimately it is very limited; we may not be able to change the whole world or how people think or how people act or why people do what they do. Of course, we can try our best to help, but there is one thing that we could always change and that’s ourselves. If we live by that power, if we live with that potential of devotion, if we carry God’s grace in our lives and express it through what we do, that’s the greatest way in which we can influence others and there will be many people you do seriously influence. And of course there will be other people you may not be able to influence so much. But you can be transcendental to that. We cannot always change everything in this world but we can change ourselves and that gives us this great strength to be an instrument of change.

Radhanath Swami on The Focus of Our Lives

Ignorance is to make the goal in life that which is temporary. And those who live by truth aspire for that which is ever-lasting, eternal. We are eternal, God is eternal and our relationship with God is eternal. That quest for eternal truth, that quest for ecstatic love which is dormant within us should be the prominent focus of our lives. And all of our occupational responsibilities, domestic needs, they should all be harmonized to fulfill that aim of life because death is inevitable. At the time of death, everything except whatever cultivation of spiritual consciousness we have attained is taken away.

Radhanath Swami on Honest Living

Human life is meant for purification. If we understand this very clearly then we will make it a priority in our life to teach our children how to be pure lovers of God, honest and earnest servants of the society, and we will lead all by our own example. That is true love, that is real knowledge and to make it a priority is intelligence. When we make it a priority and have faith in the Absolute Truth then it behooves us to balance and regulate our life in such a way that everything we do or speak is harmonized towards achieving that goal. If we are honest before God and honest with ourselves then to lead such a life is very simple. But to the degree we are duplicitous, it’s very difficult. But where there is a will, there is a way. We see throughout history, many of the most dynamic people within the world were servants of God and humanity. And they never compromised their integrity.

Radhanath Swami on A Life of Purification

An intelligent person prepares in this life and prepares also for what is beyond this life. When we associate with spiritually minded people, when we associate with people who are searching for spiritual elevation or with people who have realized the spiritual essence within their hearts and in their association when we hear the transcendental knowledge then we are inspired to read the holy scriptures and the sacred commentaries of the great saints. And then we desire a life, not of temporary enjoyment, but a life of purification. The nature of the soul is to seek ecstatic love and joy. Yoga, spirituality, religion – all these are the means by which we can cleanse or purify our hearts.

Radhanath Swami on The Vicious Cycle

When you commit a sinful activity, then the seed of the reaction gets stored in the heart and it starts to grow. And ultimately, the physical reaction comes upon us. It is unavoidable. It may come in this life, it may come in a future life, but the reaction will come! If you cause any pain to any living entity then that reaction, that pain must come upon you with greater force, you cannot avoid it. It is just a matter of time. But worse than that, not only will the reaction come, but also the inclination to do it again becomes deeper and stronger within the heart. A gross example is, if somebody smokes cigarettes then he can’t stop smoking cigarettes, in fact he gets addicted to it. It is true for all types of material activities - the more we do them, the more we become internally addicted to the tendency to do it. And then the reactions come, and along with the reactions, the inclination grows. It’s a vicious cycle! How to get out of this cycle? When we chant the holy names of the Lord, it cleanses the heart at all different levels - it actually extinguishes the seed of inclination for sinful, materialistic, egoistic, selfish, envious activities.

Radhanath Swami on Getting Closer to God

The holy scriptures teach us that real intelligence is to learn to balance and harmonize our lives so that all our responsibilities are fulfilled in such a way that it pleases God. We should do our job and raise our family in a way that we are pleasing the Lord. That means there must be morality, there must be ethical values in our life and beyond them there must be spiritual vision and devotion for the Lord. And that is awakened by giving quality time on a regular basis to cleansing our heart by associating with saintly people. A saintly person is one who is harmonizing every aspect of life in a spirit of devotion. Such a person believes deeply in spiritual principles and lives by them. If we give quality time for hearing the glories of God in association of saintly persons and sincerely chant His holy names then gradually our heart will be cleansed and we will come closer to Him.

Radhanath Swami on Awakening Love for God

When our consciousness becomes spiritually inspired by God’s name, and gets spiritually connected to the all-attractive Lord of our hearts, then naturally, whatever we do will be motivated with love and devotion. Devotion is the gradual development of the eternal spiritual virtue which gives meaning and fulfillment to our lives. Real fulfillment is in the awakening of our eternal inner love for God. And to give that fulfillment to our loved ones and to the needy people in the world is the greatest service. But we can only give what we have. Thus, if we believe, if we have faith, if we have scientific philosophical conviction or just simple faith, either one, then yes, we will orchestrate our lives in such a way that we actually fulfill our various responsibilities on the path of perfection. And for that purpose, we must have a strong commitment to chanting God’s names and living a life based on religious principles.