Radhanath Swami is emphatic that both, an attitude of service and sincere chanting of God’s Holy Names go hand in hand in spiritual life. To serve God and the world for our whole life we will require spiritual strength and nourishment. The source for this is the Holy Names. At the same time we can’t chant the Holy Names effectively if we do not cultivate proper service attitude.

Radhanath Swami gives the example of his own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada who at the advanced age of seventy travelled to America on a cargo ship. His only purpose in doing that was to save the poor suffering souls of this world. While on the month long voyage, Srila Prabhupada suffered from heart attacks and sea sickness and while in America, he also struggled alone. However, during all this tribulations, Srila Prabhupada had unflinching faith in the Holy Names and that provided him the solace and strength during these hard days. Later Srila Prabhupada transformed the hearts of thousands of drug infected hippies and blessed them with the most special gift of love of God. Srila Prabhupada attributed the miraculous transformation of all the ‘hippies’ to ‘happies’ to the power of the Holy Names.

The faith in Holy Names that Radhanath Swami observed in Mother Theresa is the driving force of all spiritualists in all the major religions of the world. Following the tradition of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the apostle of Love of God who appeared in Eastern India in the fifteenth century, Radhanath Swami describes the Lord’s holy names to be complete in themselves and identical to the Lord in all potency. Hence when we take shelter of the holy names, we derive immense spiritual strength.

In the Judaeo-Christian tradition also there is a great instruction: “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” Not only is this encouragement for chanting God’s name, but the word means “sacred.” We say that the name of God is sacred. But originally the word hallowed meant “whole.” The name of God was considered complete. So “hallowed be Thy name” meant that God’s name was complete in itself, or full of God’s own potency, as what Vedic tradition says.

All religious traditions teach this principle and encourage adherents to chant God’s names, even if, in practice, the instruction is hardly followed. In fact, all religions emphasize the chanting process as the prime means for developing God consciousness. For example, King David, of the Bible, preached: “From the rising of the sun until its setting, the Lord’s name is to be praised.” (Psalms 113:3) Saint Paul said, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) In this way, the potency of the name is endorsed even in the Western religious traditions.

What Radhanath Swami learnt from Mother Theresa, he later perfected under the tutelage of his own spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada.

Radhanath Swami, as an expert guide says that the scriptures have no contradictions. They are only ‘apparent’ contradictions. In some instances, scriptures are deliberately filled with apparent double-talk. A typical example is the language of the Upanishads: e.g., “The Supreme Lord walks and does not walk. He is far away, but He is very near as well. He is within everything, and yet He is outside of everything.” (Isopanishad Mantra 5) Such contradictory statements are provided to indicate His inconceivable, transcendental nature. He walks, but His walking is nothing like the walking within this mundane realm. So, thanks to these paradoxes, we are induced to reconsider and reform the deep-rooted material conceptions in our mind when contemplating the Supreme Absolute Truth.

It is not necessarily that all such contradictions are purposefully presented by the scriptures in order to get us to contemplate. It is just the nature of Absolute Truth, which appears to us to be contradictory when we try to capture it within the limited vocabulary of language or within the limited framework of our material mind and intelligence. But by patient and repeated aural reception of the whole message, and by receiving clarification from a realized soul, such contradictions become resolved.

Some of these apparent contradictions, which often become topics of debate among inter-faith discussions, are resolved by understanding the example of higher and lower level mathematics. One may learn in a simple way in elementary math that it is not possible to subtract a bigger number from a smaller one, but as one progressively learns the concepts of negative numbers, rational and irrational numbers, imaginary numbers and so on, instead of seeing contradictions, one’s understanding becomes wider and deeper.
Often, what appears as contradiction is due to our own lack of understanding or preconceptions about what God or spiritual life must look like. Sometimes it is seen that even when Reality is presented in a very simple and straightforward manner, people find it hard to reconcile.

The common tendency amongst those educated in the modern school of rationalism is to try to subject everything, including spiritual topics, to analysis and rationalization and reductionism — but these tools fail us miserably in trying to understand Spirit. Radhanath Swami often quotes the famous example of the five blind men — each of them came up with completely contradictory pictures of the elephant, while in fact none of them were close to whole truth. Our approach to scripture is often like those blind men, and thus we run into many “contradictions”. Therefore, in order to learn the truth, it is indispensable to approach a seeing man, i.e. a self-realized soul. Under the guidance of such a spiritual master, one can systematically learn to reconcile all contradictions and see the Whole Truth.

While practicing spiritual principles many aspirants discover contradictions in scriptures and also in their own experiences. I once heard Radhanath Swami explain that initially we seek everything in spiritual life to be black and white by which we can perfectly explain everything. However as we grow in our spiritual life, we discover shades of gray and realize that spiritual life is multi colored. Spiritual life may appear contradictory because as we advance in spiritual life we get deeper understanding of the world, other people, and other spiritual practitioners and God.

Radhanath Swami often quotes the spiritual master of his own guru, Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur who was called as a ‘Lion guru’ because he never tolerated hypocrisy. Whenever and wherever he saw anyone in the renounced order cheat in the name of religion, Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati would expose him, and he considered hypocrisy as one of the greatest sins.

Radhanath Swami quotes the scriptures to explain that the present age and time is called as the age of ‘quarrel and hypocrisy’. At a slight provocation, there is quarrel and hypocrisy is rampant. Radhanath Swami says, “When hypocrisy comes into the system of religion it becomes the greatest threat to the human society. When hypocrisy is present within our material dealings it creates impious life. But when hypocrisy comes into religion it destroys the very fiber of saintliness which is the only means of creating harmony in this world.” Often quoting his guru, Radhanath Swami says a sincere sweeper in the street is better than a charlatan meditator.

Radhanath Swami particularly laments at the renounced order’s hypocrisy. The renounced order is supposed to abstain from sex life. But when one in the renounced order as the Zen master in this story has double standards, people lose faith in the whole system of spirituality. Any position of leadership brings with it lot of responsibility. Quoting Bhagavad Gita, the Indian book of wisdom, Radhanath Swami says, “Whatever the leader does, the common man follows.” Therefore Radhanath Swami appeals to all in leadership positions to cultivate a high level of character and integrity. Radhanath Swami defines character as the substance of ideals that the person holds sacred in his life. “A leader should not only have high ideals, he should also harmonize every aspect of his life to live by those ideals.”

Radhanath Swami says the easiest method to save ourselves from hypocrisy is by cultivating the principle of humility. “A real leader never thinks of himself as a master”, says Radhanath Swami, “He always feels ‘I am the servant’. He always meditates on ‘I am a caretaker and not a proprietor. And the only thing that belongs to me is my service to all of God’s children’“

Hypocrisy has to make way for cleansing of our own hearts. And that is spirituality’s basic thrust. “Cleaning of our own hearts is in essence the essence of all religion and spirituality”, says Radhanath Swami. Radhanath Swami urges us to conquer our hypocritical tendencies with genuine humility. “We have to do good to others but knowing fully well that whatever good we do is due to being an instrument of a power beyond ourselves.” The more humble we seek to become, the more we access this power and more our lives are in congruence with our sacred ideals. Hypocrisy then makes way for high level of character and integrity.

Reading this exciting adventure of Radhanath Swami attempting to enter a temple reminded me of Radhanath Swami’s closest friend, Bhakti Tirtha Swami, on whose instructions Radhanath Swami has written the ‘Journey Home’. Bhakti Tirtha Swami also once attempted to enter the famous Jagganath temple in Puri, India. In 2005 Radhanath Swami described this exciting story in a marathon six hour class on the glorious services of Bhakti Tirtha Swami.

Radhanath Swami narrated that in 1978, Bhakti Tirtha Swami was in India. At that time in history, not a single foreigner had ever been inside Jagannath’s temple in Puri, in the state of Orissa. Bhakti Tirtha Swami had been once told by his guru that in this lifetime he would see God. So he thought, “Maybe I will see God as Lord Jagannath in this temple.” He had a black complexion and thought perhaps the ever vigilant temple priests at Puri may think he is from from South India and they would allow him in. He tied a towel around his head to look Indian. There were big crowds, and he walked right by the gatekeeper. He went deeper and there was a massive crowd, thousands of people near the main altar of God. At that time, Bhakti Tirtha Swami thought, “If they catch me now they are going to really beat me, I don’t know what will happen”. All of a sudden, the pandas, the official door keepers in the temple stopped the crowed and began choosing people that they thought had money and called them forward. One of them called Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaj forward, “You come.” He spoke in Oriya language, and Bhakti Tirtha Swami was afraid because if the panda spoke to him, he would be caught because he only spoke English. The person started asking questions. Bhakti Tirtha Swami couldn’t understand a word. He just remained silent and was praying to the Lord. The person brought him right up to the altar and pushed his head right on the altar, and let him stand there to offer his prayers of love. He then took him to circumambulate the temple, and meanwhile so many other pandas tried to get money from him but this one panda was saying, “He is mine, he is mine.”

After he had this amazing experience,, the panda who was actually the chief priest of the temple called him out and spoke to him in English, “I know who you are. I don’t agree that you people shouldn’t be allowed in the temple, so I have arranged this audience for you with the Lord. Bhakti Tirtha Swami was so overwhelmed with this divine spiritual experience that the next day he thought he would do it again. However this time the pandas discovered he was not an Indian, and they started screaming at him and chasing him and Bhakti Tirtha Swami ran. He narrowly escaped and realized we should be satisfied by what God has given us.

Radhanath Swami says that Bhakti Tirtha Swami was the first foreigner to have ever personally got the audience of the Lord at Jagganath Puri. His guru’s prophecy had indeed come true “You will see God in this lifetime.”

Once Radhanath Swami explained why in the Vedic/Hindu culture, the procession of a dead body is taken. It is to make all realize the futility of life in this world. Radhanath Swami explains that by seeing a dead body carried by the relatives, even those not related to the person sober up. Radhanath Swami gives the example of Gautama Buddha who developed renunciation on seeing a dead body being carried in procession. Buddha realized that all have to die and therefore it’s not worth to seek gratification of the senses while living in this temporary body.

Radhanath Swami’s brilliant observation is seen by his description of a typical news telecast. He reveals how the entire show is about murder, death, terrorism and war. Even sports coverage is occasionally paying homage to a former sports hero who dies at his old age. Only the advertisements invite the viewers to enjoy a car or a holiday; the illusion of enjoyment thus appears so real. Radhanath Swami says that an unbiased study and observation of life will reveal that history, present and future is nothing but the piling up of corpses and vanquishing of empires. Although there is nothing startling about people dying, what is indeed surprising is our refusal to face up to the inevitability of our own death. Radhanath Swami often quotes the Mahabharata, a great epic of Vedic times, “Every day millions of living beings are forced to the kingdom of death. Yet those who remain aspire for a permanent life in the material world. What could be more wonderful than this?”

Superficially, we all recognize that we shall die one day. We take out insurance policies to provide for those who will live after us. We make out wills bequeathing whatever we own to our loved ones. We may even put money aside for our own funeral, cemetery plot, and gravestone. But Radhanath Swami assures that this is not real preparation for death. Radhanath Swami expresses that it is surely lamentable that most people don’t inquire into these questions seriously; they keep up the illusion that death won’t come to them. Unwilling to face death, they concentrate wholeheartedly on enjoying their present life, with no concern for the next.
Quoting Vedic teachings that probe deeply into the meaning of death—and beyond, Radhanath Swami cites the examples from Bhagavad Gita. When Lord Krishna found His friend Arjuna aggrieved over the future deaths of his relatives, He counseled, “Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.” He then taught Arjuna that there was never a time “when I did not exist, nor you nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.” Radhanath Swami says that according to the knowledge of transmigration of the soul, as given by enlightened sages in Vedic scriptures, we can understand that the real self, the real person, is different from the perishable body. The body dies, but the soul goes on to take another body according to its deeds (or karma) in this life. Because the soul is eternal, we should not overly lament the death of our friends, or our own death.

The world is witnessing unparalled poverty and deprivation caused by the greed of the affluent few. In the well-researched book Food First, Francis Moore Lappe points out that much of the world’s best land is being misused for production of cash export crops. Therefore it is greed among the affluent that’s at the root of the resulting starvation. Food First reports a study of famines in Africa showing that during every drought the affected nation had within its own boundaries the food resources to feed its starving citizens, but relief was withheld because of economic or political motives. The merchants wanted to hoard the grains, cause artificial inflation, and earn more profit. Or the politicians wanted to deprive regions supporting the opposing politicians and thus settle old scores or gain the upper hand. Sometimes the food-grains rotted in the storehouses while people all around starved. Or worse still, crops were burned or grains sunk into the ocean. The same sad story of Africa often repeats itself in various parts of the world wherever natural calamities strike. Thus whether it’s a Moghul King’s greed or modern man’s exploitative mentality, the phenomenon is universal; greed for power is the bane of human society.

Radhanath Swami offers an interesting presentation on greed; he says we don’t want to abolish the sentiment of greed; we just want to change the object. Instead of being greedy for material enjoyment we should seek to be greedy to serve God and others. Radhanath Swami reasons that the feelings of lust and greed that we have in this world is a perverted reflection of the spiritual reality; a reality where there is purity of thought, feelings and action. Therefore we should be lusty and greedy for making spiritual advancement and for serving others. Radhanath Swami further clarifies that lust means a longing for something. Therefore we have to long for God, says Radhanath Swami. He says that the price we have to pay for spiritual enlightenment is the tears we shed, a longing for God. This is the way we purify our lust- by longing for God. Similarly greed is a terrible demon in our hearts. Quoting Rupa Goswami, a sixteenth century Vaishnava saint and philosopher, Radhanath Swami says we don’t want to vanquish greed but purify it by serving God and others.

Radhanath Swami assures that individually each one of us can make a difference to the world if we attempt to transform our material greed to a spiritual emotion.

Radhanath Swami reasons that this is the power of a genuine spiritual path. “Spiritual life is not a path of negation”, assures Radhanath Swami, “rather it is a system of transformation.” Spiritual life transforms our hearts and replaces the negative forces of lust, envy and greed in our heart with the positive forces of love and service. He gives an example to explain the point. A caterpillar may not be beautiful but when it transforms into a butterfly, it becomes one of the most attractive insects. Similarly our heart has much negativity but these forces can be transformed to a beautiful butterfly. Radhanath Swami says although the positive transformation of the heart is required, it only comes  when we abandon our egoistic conceptions of wanting to be the enjoyer and instead fix ourselves as the servants of God and all living entities. Radhanath Swami observes that real heart transformation comes about when we have the proper attitude to strive for that which is real. That is the spiritual platform. Radhanath Swami urges all spiritual aspirants that before we die, we have to ensure that our false ego dies. “Death means to let the false ego go and live on the light of real truth.” When we live such a life our lives are full of meaning not only to ourselves but we also lend meaningful substance to others’ lives. This transformation is for real and desirable.

However Radhanath Swami is quick to clarify that spiritual life doesn’t bring about a change in the personality. We are unique and retain our individualities in spiritual life. The transformation we experience is subtle; it’s a subtle transformation of our desires, motivation and attitudes. This transformation requires hard work and a desire to change.

I heard a nice story in this regard. Once there was a man who looked at his entire life through a distorted mirror. He was actually very ugly, but because of the distorted mirror he looked beautiful in the glass. Finally, a relative decided to help him see reality and gave him a proper mirror. The man became so disturbed when he looked into the real mirror that he threw it down and went back to his old mirror.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens sometimes when we come into spiritual life and see for the first time what needs to be changed in our attitudes and behaviour. Often we find it so intolerable that we prefer to abandon the spiritual path. The Native Americans have a very interesting saying: “If you say the truth you need a quick horse.” This saying shows how unwelcome the truth sometimes is for us. When we hear it, our ego rebels and then the one who told the truth needs a quick horse.

Radhanath Swami implores that let us not make this mistake of denying the reality that we have negativities in our heart and we need to change. Rather let us happily accept the changes we have to make. They are for our good. These transformations bring us closer to God and give us real and lasting happiness.

Radhanath Swami reveals that spiritual life can present temptations that distract us from our goal. One should not practice spiritual practices for either monetary gain or for worldly popularity. The real bliss of spiritual life will be missing from our lives if we succumb to pursuing ephemeral goals of wanting prestige and power in this material world.

Radhanath Swami narrates examples of great saints who strictly avoided worldly fame lest it distracted them from their spiritual goal. One such example that Radhanath Swami quotes is of a nineteenth century saint Gaura Kishor Das Babaji who performed his meditation and prayers in a dirty public toilet so that people would leave him alone and not trouble him for material blessings. Radhanath Swami warns that these examples are not to be imitated but we can take inspiration on how many great souls abhorred glorification and material power. Another example Radhanath Swami often speaks about is a fifteenth century saint Bhugarbha Goswmai. To avoid material distractions, Bhugarbha Goswami would perform his worship to God in a cave. Because of this, he received the name Bhugarbha (bhu means “earth,” garbha means “cave” or “hidden place”).

Radhanath Swami reveals that the time and age we are living in beset with unlimited temptations and distractions that threaten to pull away a sincere seeker from his or her spiritual quest. Therefore we need to guard against these negative forces and practice spiritual life sincerely. On the basis of revealed scriptures, Radhanath Swami presents that the senses which include the mind are so strong and so impetuous that they forcibly carry away the intelligence even of a man who is endeavoring to control them. “That’s what yoga is about. It is not simply about having a healthy body or living many years. Yoga is about controlling the mind and the senses” says Radhanath Swami and this requires us to be focused against all obstacles, distractions and temptations. Radhanath Swami assures that this can be done if we simultaneously focus our mind on God.

But I often wonder that it is difficult to fix my mind on God. The solution Radhanath Swami offers is simple; association of like-minded seekers. Association can help us overcome temptations on the path of spiritual life. Even if we occasionally slip from our spiritual standards, the association of strong and sincere spiritual aspirants helps us come back on track. Temptations are unavoidable but how we respond to them depends on how much we have taken shelter of God. This shelter becomes strong in the association of strong devotees.

Naga Babas, “the naked ones”, belong to an order founded by Dattatreya, a long time ago, in human history. The group was finally organized into a sect by Adi Shankara in the 5th century AD. The Naga Babas see themselves as the ultimate protectors of the Sanatan Dharma, or what is popularly called as the Hindu religion.

As a practicing spiritualist I often wonder if it’s possible for all to practice these rigid austerities. More importantly I often asked myself if these kind of austerities are needed at all. I once asked Radhanath Swami if we are disqualified from spiritual life if we cannot practice strict austerities. Radhanath Swami gave me lot of hope by saying that spiritual life is not about austerities or denial but rather it is a life of acceptance- acceptance of God’s grace. Radhanath Swami reveals that austerities can be influenced by different modes in nature. One in the mode of ignorance performs austerities that are grossly harmful to the body. One influenced by the mode of passion performs austerities with a fruitive desire for monetary gain or for some recognition and popularity. Radhanath Swami urges that our austerities should be in the mode of goodness- that which helps us sync with nature and connect to God.

Radhanath Swami says performance of austerities is inevitable. A student who wants to do well in his exams relinquishes his play- this is a type of austerity. Similarly, Radhanath Swami says, a spiritual seeker forsakes worldly pleasures for spiritual pleasures. This giving up of some material or bodily gratification may seem painful in the beginning, but the result is a sweet experience. Radhanath Swami specifically urges that while performing austerities if we remember God, the remembrance of God will fill our heart with a certain kind of spiritual happiness that cannot be equaled by anything material. Therefore Radhanath Swami is clear in his exposition of the need to perform austerities. He says austerities are useful to the extent they increase our favorable remembrance of God.

Radhanath Swami has also time and again elaborated that austerity means putting aside our selfish ambitions for a higher purpose. As a master at developing vibrant spiritual communities, Radhanath Swami implores practicing spiritualists to keep aside their selfish, material ambitions and unite for a higher cause to help others. This is a great austerity, says Radhanath Swami but we have to do it for it pleases God and helps us advance in our relationship with God.

As a practicing spiritualist it is an uplifting experience to see God’s creation and marvel at the preciseness and beauty of it all. There are many simple and graphic examples of the artistry of the Lord’s creation. We see that among the lower forms of living entities, social organization is very smoothly maintained. For example, in a bee colony the drones nicely take care of the queen bee, while the workers collect a great amount of honey from flowers all day long. Similarly, the loving relationship between a mother and her baby is quite clearly visible even in very small forms of living entities. During monsoon season in tropical countries, when there are torrents of rain, the small ants run to find shelter, carrying their eggs on their heads. The spider makes its wonderful webs with great architectural skill to serve as a shelter and to catch its prey for survival. Silkworms spin hundreds of yards of fine threads to form cocoons for their shelter during the pupa stage. Inside a tiny seed, smaller than the size of a mustard seed, the whole potency of a big banyan tree is present. Seventy separate chemical reactions are involved in the process of photosynthesis in a plant. These are just a few examples of the wonderful organization in nature which reveals a wonderful intelligence behind it all. These arrangements are made by God, who is creating, maintaining and guiding all living entities, small or big.

Radhanath Swami has often given the example of the giant Sequoia tree. One of the smallest seeds has packaged within it the biggest living thing on earth – the giant sequoia tree. It grows over 300 feet high. Four feet above the ground its diameter may be 36 feet. One tree may contain enough wood to build 50 six-room houses. The twofoot- thick bark is flavored with tannin that repels insects, and it’s spongy, fibrous texture makes it almost as fireproof as asbestos. It’s roots cover three or four acres. It lives over 3000 years. Yet the seeds that a sequoia tree rains down by the millions are not much bigger than a pinhead surrounded by tiny wings. A puny man standing at a sequoia’s base can only gaze upward in silent awe at its massive grandeur. Does it make sense to believe that the shaping of the majestic giant and of the tiny seed that packages it was not by design?

Radhanath Swami speaks in many of his classes that we can see and appreciate God’s wonderful creation at the atomic and molecular level also. Networks of atoms are so fantastically arranged that even a slight change in the positions of a few atoms or a little variation in the geometry of a molecule, can cause the colour of a substance to change from orange to red, a mild pleasing odour to become repellent and pungent, and a flavour to change from sweet to bitter. On one extreme, we find from the infinitely large to the infinitesimally small, from galactic clusters to atoms, the universe is characterized by superb organization. Indeed, the universe is so precisely organized that man can use the heavenly bodies as the basis for his timekeeping. A well designed time piece is obviously the work of a intelligent scientist. Then what about the far more complex design and dependability that exists throughout the universe?

With such simple and daily observable examples, Radhanath Swami appeals to all to accept the benevolence of God.