Devotee:

What is meant by self realization? Well one in the spiritual path also has to suffer, so what is that they are achieving in the spiritual path?



HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj:



We have already explained the difference between the body and the soul. Jesus Christ said “be in this world but not of this world”. The body will grow old get diseased and die. If your pleasure is coming from the body then ultimately all your pleasures will get frustrated. But if you are deriving pleasure from what is within, your happiness, your peace will never be frustrated. Because that pleasure is not subjected to the natural conditions of this physical world, that pleasure is on the spiritual platform.



Consciousness in itself is eternal. There is no such thing as temporary consciousness. Consciousness is the symptom of the presence of the soul and all consciousness is eternal because all consciousness is emanating from God. It is directly connected to God, who is the supreme source of all consciousness.



It is just like a Sun ray. You as part of God are like a Sun ray and God is like the Sun. Now even though a Sun ray may be on this earth, is the Sun ray is its home considered to be the earth or the Sun, which one? The Sun ray is right here on the earth, but the home of the Sun ray is the earth or the Sun? Because it is coming from the Sun, it is of the same quality as the Sun it is not as the same quality as the earth, it is not coming from the earth, it is just happens to be here. But it is connected through the Sun; it is almost like hanging from the Sun, right?



So, similarly are you conscious or unconscious. This world of matter is unconscious, all matter is unconscious, but the soul is conscious. Therefore the soul has nothing directly to do with this unconscious matter although it happens to be here, but its connection and its source is God, who is the supreme source of all consciousness. So if you are relating yourself, if the Sun ray is thinking I am part of this world, this earth. It isn’t but as long as it thinks it is, it is identifying with the deadness of this world, right? But if the Sun ray understands its real position that my real connection is to the Sun, my real source is the Sun, my real nature are part of the Sun. Even though the Sun ray is on this world and is watching all the deadness of this world it is not effected.



So similarly when we understand that we are part of the God, we are coming from God, our real home is with God, we are eternally connected to God. Even though we may be in this physical body watching the dead body go through the process of old age, disease and death, as long as we are remembering our connection to God there is no suffering. Body is suffering but the soul is finding its pleasure in God not in this world. The soul is finding pleasure where real pleasure is, within your own existence.

Be in this world but not of this world!

Unity alone would empower




Due to egoism, everyone thinks, "I can judge others. I am right. You are wrong. If you stand between me and my aspirations of profit, adoration and distinction then you become my enemy." Where there is disunity amongst devotees; there cannot be proper sankirtan, we cannot chant together in the proper spirit to please Krsna, we cannot serve together. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur saw his own devotees fighting amongst themselves, he was willing to sacrifice everything and anything he had, to bring about unity. Because he knew that unity alone would empower his movement to please Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus fulfill His mission. For Srila Prabhupada also, that was the great worry. "Show your love for me by how you cooperate." This cooperation is not an ordinary material formula. You cannot cooperate unless you are really trying to follow the essence of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings. Without wearing this shloka around our necks, strung by the holy name: trinad api sunicena, taror api sahishnuna, amanina manadena, kirtaniya sada Hari, there can be no real cooperation, unless we are striving to be really humble devotees, putting aside this egoism; Trample it down!

H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

Unity alone would empower

Turning to Krishna



Arjuna was posed as the typical person within this material world. He was in a dilemma. He was forgetful of his real duties in life. And therefore Krishna spoke the sacred teachings of the Gita for the upliftment and purification of all humanity. And the great acharyas, many of them were sannyasis, many of them grihasthas; family people, but they taught us by their examples and by their words and by their writings, how to live in harmony with our own spiritual nature and be happy. Real happiness - that is not subjected to everything going the way we want. In the material world everything has to be just according to our necessities to be happy. If one thing goes wrong - miserable. One little injury comes to you or your loved ones, one problem that somebody else creates upon you, miseries of your own body and mind, adhibhautika - miseries by other living beings and adhidaivika - miseries due to too much rain or too much snow or too much heat or too much cold or the earthquakes that may come. A few days ago I was on the Jet Airways from Germany to Mumbai. And some people were in first class. Some people were in business class. And some were crowded in Economy class. And the airport was closed. So the airplane was circumambulating for hours and hours, Mumbai. And first, second, third class, everyone was frustrated. Everyone was miserable. And then there was, because of storm, turbulence. And the turbulence was too much. And people were asking for their vomit bags. First class, business class, economy class - the vomit bag is the same. It is not that if you are first class, I paid three times as much. Why do I get the same turbulence? Maybe worse, if it is more towards the front. Then the seat belts go on and everyone is thinking, the plane may crash. It actually came near to crashing, it seemed. First class, business class, economy class, no difference. Everyone had the same fear of crashing. So by our material arrangements and manipulation, essentially we were all in the same situation in this world. And then somehow or other- I was actually very happy. Devotees are different, the unusual type of people for the way they think. Because while everyone was looking at their watches, looking at their vomit bags, I was thinking, we are circumbulating Radha Gopinath temple. So everyone in the plane is making nice spiritual progress. And I was just remembering Radha Gopinathji. We have so many yatras. Sometimes we go on the boat to celebrate Radha Gopinath’s glories. Sometimes we go to holy places to celebrate Radha Gopinath’s glories. Sometimes we dance in the streets. That night we were just circumbulating in the sky. 30,000 feet above sea level. Quite an experience. And then when we landed, we found out so many floods. Doesn’t matter who you are. When the floods come, no vehicles work. You walk through the rain, upto your waist, in water, getting soaked, whether you are an executive in a big industry, whether you selling paan in a corner. Doesn’t matter. Everyone walks. And if you don’t know how to swim, you don't know whether you will live. Here in great city of Mumbai, so much fortune, so much wealth, so much power, but when the rains come, when the earthquakes come, what can we do? What arrangement? There can be only one arrangement. And that - turning to Krishna.

H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

So in this world there are two principles that are always bewildering our mind; there is attraction and aversion. There is hankering and lamenting. Attraction and aversion, they are two sides of the same coin. Either one will cripple your spiritual progress. If you are attracted to this material energy, you cannot properly fix your mind on Krishna and if there is too much aversion to this material energy you cannot fix your mind on Krishna. Some we have seen, devotees become fanatics, they become averse. When I was new to this movement, bramacharis used to say; women are Maya, don’t look at them. We hate women, we spit at the thought of women and everyone of those people all have wives and children. Now person who is averse it just means they are attached, they are attracted and they sound somehow trying to counteract that in an immature way by being averse. But actual elevation means to become indifferent; not attracted not averse. An advanced personality is indifferent. A certain type of respect/aversion for Maya must be there but it should be done with respect but too much of aversion is simply the other type of attachment. Therefore in Krishna consciousness we want to fix our consciousness on Krishna. We want to become free from either from aversions or attraction to material energy.



H H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

Actual elevation means to become indifferent