Words of Transcendence.
*Quotes by HH Radhanath Swami during a recent class:*
1. If we judge devotees, it is our spiritual destruction. Do not judge them. You don’t know who they may be.
2. Mercy means to get what we do not deserve.
3. Great souls are merciful. Srila Prabhupada was pleased with the little things that someone did, even if that person had all bad qualities. His being pleased was his mercy, because he knew that if he was not pleased, Krishna will not be pleased and if Krishna was not pleased there was no hope for that person’s spiritual advancement.
4. The behavior of a disciple can be an ornament for or a scar on the reputation of the spiritual master.
5. All glories to Guru Maharaj means nothing left for us, no credit for us.
6. Krishna consciousness is not achieved but awarded.
7. Ultimately everything will perish except our relationship with Krishna. Whatever we invest in that relationship is eternal.
8. Bhakti means the science of being defeated. Krishna wants to be defeated by the love of His devotee and the devotee wants to be defeated by Krishna’s love.
9. Bliss in Krishna Consciousness comes only when there is an eagerness to hear Krishna Katha. This eagerness comes only when there is a sense of urgency.
10. Krishna is present fully in His Holy Name and this is realized by humility and sincerity in our chanting.
11. Millions of people will come if you simply present Krishna as He is!
12. We are insignificant, our sins are also insignificant, which Krishna can easily vanquish.
13. Whether advanced or a beginner in Krishna Consciousness, we should not be neglectful even for a second. That one second could mean our spiritual life. It could even mean our material life.
14. In giving respect we can be very happy, because we can do it in all situations. When we expect respect we are miserable, because it is not that everyone in every situation will respect us.
15. A Vaishnava forgives the offender before the offense is over.
16. Spirituality is based on development of character and philosophy.
17. If you compromise your integrity for the thrills of this world, you will suffer in the future.
18. Love is not enjoyment. Love is being enjoyed!
19. To love is to serve and to serve is to please.
20. Real faith is not something imposed upon us. Real faith is awakened from within in the proper environment, like a seed. A seed, of watered properly, grows into a beautiful flower.
21. When you surrender, that’s where you get your strength from.
22. By allowing past karma to affect us, Krishna is giving us a chance to surrender more.
23. Surrender sounds horrible to one who wants to be a controller. But it is the sweetest and most pleasing of all words for a devotee who has a humble heart. For some it is a bitter medicine, for devotees it is sweet nectar.
24. Without humility you can have knowledge but not realization.
25. If you accept you are a fool, you can learn. Don’t be a fool, but you should feel like a fool. If you don’t feel like a fool, then you are really a fool.
26. At our level, genuine humility is to aspire for genuine humility.
27. When there is disunity amongst devotees, there cannot be proper Sankirtan.
28. We are compassionate towards animals but are violent with our godbrothers, godsisters and other Vaishnavas. Ours is the most personal philosophy but sometimes we are highly impersonal in our dealings.
29. If you have no determination, you are useless on the spiritual path.
30. To discriminate between the right and the wrong and to be determined to do the right is called determination.
31. Don’t let a breath escape from your body without Krishna’s name. That should be our determination throughout our life
32. Krishna Consciousness becomes boring if you are not determined.
33. Gratitude doesn’t mean simply saying thank you. Real gratitude means reciprocation. If you are actually grateful to someone, you will reciprocate even if it means great sacrifice.
34. Every word we speak or everything we do, is either an offering to Krishna or our ego.
35. If you read every word of Srila Prabhupada’s purports with a sense of urgency, believe me these words will change your life
36. Leadership is not a post to enjoy. If that is our idea then you will be a very miserable leader, a very exploitative person. Leadership is a very serious, significant responsibility of service to others.
37. Before we commit offenses to devotees the stage comes, in which we feel ourselves better than other devotees.
38. Offenses take away your service. The worst is that it takes away our propensity to serve.
39. Finding faults is sense gratification.
40. To see faults in others contaminates your heart.
41. A person who finds faults in others is a person full of faults.
42. If a person is criticising a Vaishnava, then that is the sign that Krishna has withdrawn His mercy and that is the means by which Krishna withdraws His mercy.
43. Fault-finding is Maya’s very vicious weapon to divert your attention from what you have to do in life, and that is to clean up our own hearts. Physician heal thyself.
44. The manifestation of ignorance is material desires.
45. The more serious you are about spiritual life, the more you keep your mind in captivity.
46. Those who are honestly trying to control their mind, they alone can be trusted.
47. People’s criticizing others is an exhibition of their envy towards GOD.
48. What is envy? Envy means, “I want to be seen as important and great.” And if anyone is a threat to my own egoistic ideas, then there is negativity towards that person.
49. When pride comes, we are already fallen, what comes after that is only a detail.
50. There are two types of pride, the first is self-pride and the second is being proud of the person who is bestowing mercy upon us. The first pride leads to fear and the second pride leads to fearlessness.
51. To be proud of our righteousness is also a sin.
52. When you are proud of your humility, nobody may spot it except the Lord in the heart. He not only spots it, He will even magnify it.
53. Great people always feel that they need help though they don’t. People who badly need help think they are great.
54. When you advance in Krishna Consciousness, it is more difficult to tolerate being honored than to tolerate being dishonored.
55. The world will appreciate you if you give time to Maya and devotees will appreciate you if you give time to Krishna. So you decide whom to serve.
56. Fighting against Maya is a blissful thing in the world.
57. For a non-devotee, Maya convinces not to surrender unto Krishna. But for a devotee, she convinces to postpone the surrender.
58. The happiness of the material world also disturbs us because it makes us forget Krishna.
59. There is enough happiness in this world to keep you attached to your sufferings.
60. The only way we can make this world a better place is to transcend it.