default image for post
From free samples to paying the price
February 26, 2013  |  radhanath-swami

Radhanath Swami writes his realization that a guru or a spiritual master with the stick of knowledge cleans the dirty wax of egotism accumulated in the heart of the disciple. This wax of ego prevents us from clearly hearing God’s voice within. But the guru lovingly cleans us. Another lesson that young Richard learnt was just like the man demanded money to clean the other ear, similarly in spiritual life, we get a free sample of religious experiences. However for more we must a pay a price of sincerity and dedication.

Radhanath Swami explains that advancing in spiritual life is not a cheap thing. Therefore Krishna, God first gives us a ‘free sample’- initial ecstasies and joy in executing spiritual practises. Radhanath Swami compares God with an expert marketing manager. He reasons if you want to get people hooked on your product, you first give them a free sample. Then after the first dose of free samples, we have to pay for the product. Similarly happiness in spiritual practices is free in the initial days. However, to sustain and grow in our spiritual lives, we have to work hard and pay the price of sincerely endeavouring to clean our hearts from all the unwanted, dirty, egoistic tendencies.  And this is quite an expensive affair. This only proves that connection to God requires hard work because the result of connection is supreme bliss. To get ordinary pleasures of this world we pay a price, many times exorbitant rates. Similarly to get spiritual pleasures, we should be willing to pay the price of giving our time and energy to God.

In one talk Radhanath Swami compares God to a drug pusher. A drug pusher may never charge you the first time. Once we are hooked, you have to pay. Similarly Krishna or God gives us the highest drug and intoxication and that is love of God. There is no intoxication that can come closer to the experience of loving God. But for the ecstasies and pleasures of God intoxication, we have to pull out the weeds of negativities from the heart. That may appear painful, but that is the price for genuine spiritual ecstasy.

At the beginning or the neophyte stage, Radhanath Swami says, we may not be able to see the weeds in our hearts.  Through careful devotional service and practice of Bhakti yoga we get purified and begin to see the anarthas or unwanted things in our hearts. Then comes the time to pay the price for spiritual taste- are we willing to let go off our negativities or do we hold on to them as dear objects and possessions. To the extent we are honestly introspective and willing to pluck out the weeds of false pride, God gives us the strength to pull them out. Although plucking them out is a painful business, God Himself arranges these weeds to disappear and then He plants in the hearts, pure love. “We have to be willing to pay the price of having pure aspirations in spiritual life”, says Radhanath Swami, “then everything in spiritual life appears ecstatic and blissful.

Related Posts:



88 Comments


  1. Great lesson by Radhanath Swami

    View Comment
  2. HH Radhanath Swami is really amazing and who ever follows his instructions can really over come the material sufferings.

    View Comment
  3. One thing That i like most is that radhanath swami Teaches us a lesson from each and every incident in our life and connects it to krishna.

    Thank you maharaj…

    View Comment
  4. Next time when I get my ear cleaned up, I will definitely remember this 🙂

    View Comment
  5. I pray that the quote, “To the extent we are honestly introspective and willing to pluck out the weeds of false pride, God gives us the strength to pull them out” of Radhanath Swami Maharaja may always be etched in my heart in all circumstances.

    View Comment
  6. Gokul Sundari Devi Dasi

    Wonderful explanation…

    View Comment
  7. Yes it is absolutely right.Those who are practicing spiritual life for quite some time must have gone through this experience.We are in this material world which is perverted reflection of spiritual world and therefore devotional life in this world is also not so easy and simple.In this world performing spiritual practice means swimming against a current.When we try to reconnect ourselves to God then He welcomes our move but to remain fixed in that connection we have to pay price for that.

    View Comment
  8. Thank you very much for nice lecture.

    View Comment
  9. There is no free meals in this world!

    View Comment
  10. Quite true.. Outstanding article.

    View Comment
  11. CS Sandeep Shinde

    Very nice article from HH Radhanath Maharaj. Thank you very much for sharing the same.

    View Comment
  12. Very truthful and practical realizations spoke by HH Radhanath Swami ji, any aspiring sincere practitioner of Bhakti yoga can easily correlate to it even after spending significantly less time in the path of devotion. This is a faith lifting realization. Thank you very much for inspiring us with this wonderful talk.

    View Comment
  13. Jagannath Dham Das

    Excellent explanation & realization by Radhanath Swami Maharaj !
    Thank you !
    Hare Krishna !

    View Comment
  14. It is really true Maharaj said that at neophyte stage, , we may not be able to see the weeds in our hearts. Through careful devotional service and practice of Bhakti yoga we get purified and begin to see the anarthas or unwanted things in our hearts.

    View Comment
  15. Thank you for sharing :).

    View Comment
  16. These realizations shared by Radhanath Swami are true jewels..

    View Comment
  17. Krishna consciousness is all comprehensive and answers and explains all the conceptions of God across all faiths

    View Comment
  18. Very true,without the price of sinceriety and dedication it’s very difficult to advance in any thing.Wt to talk about sprituality.

    View Comment
  19. Advancing in spiritual life is not a cheap thing.

    View Comment
  20. No great thing is cheap and no cheap thing can ever be great.

    View Comment
  21. Wonderful, Swamiji Explains the importance of guru in once life..
    Thank you
    Hare krishna

    View Comment
  22. It is a general tendency of everyone to work hard in our work understanding that without hard work we would not have success, but when it comes to sprirituality, the general tendency is to go in front of Lord’s deities whenever we get time, bow down once head, and if relly in a ‘devotional’ mood put some Lakshmi in hundi, and the expectation is that we would get all experience of Bhaki, and become a pure devotee.

    Thank you Radhanath Swami for setting the expectations right-“We have to be willing to pay the price of having pure aspirations in spiritual life”.

    View Comment
  23. yes this is so true that we need to pay the price, to us it seems a exorbant price but actually it is negligible. sincerity of one life will give us eternity with krishna

    View Comment
  24. Amoghaveerya das

    I really liked the real life time examples given by radhanth swami maharaj to explain us that getting love of god is not very cheap and we have to pay price for it in terms of our time and energy. It is foolish idea to think or dream that one day we will become pure devotee without really endeavoring from our side with sincerity and seriousness.

    View Comment
  25. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful realisation really without paying something we cannot get anything in this material world but for bhakti we don’t have to pay anything except our heart and mind in the service of God. wonderful realization.

    View Comment
  26. Great to read this..”for the ecstasies and pleasures of God intoxication, we have to pull out the weeds of negativities from the heart. That may appear painful, but that is the price for genuine spiritual ecstasy.”

    Thank you Radhanath Swami for elaborating on this vital principle !!

    View Comment
  27. wonderful article.thank you so much maharaj.

    View Comment
  28. How true it is that we are ready to work hard for getting comfort and luxuries, but want spiritual advancement in as short-cut way as possible. We need to change this attitude and learn to work hard for achieving spiriual goals as well. Thank you so much Radhanath Swami for this very deep lesson.

    View Comment
  29. Tallam Sita Ramaiah

    “To get ordinary pleasures of this world we pay a price, many times exorbitant rates. Similarly to get spiritual pleasures, we should be willing to pay the price of giving our time and energy to God.” To get the invaluable spiritual pleasure, this is a very small price.

    View Comment
  30. Maharaj has said rightly we need to pay the price.

    View Comment
  31. “God helps those who help themselves.” We need to pay the price for what we initially get as sample to advance fast in our spiritual lives. All glories to HH Radhanatha Svami Maharaja.

    View Comment
  32. Everything comes with a price!

    View Comment
  33. Wow. God intoxication. A beautiful concept. No intoxication can even come closer to it … Well said, Radhanath Swamiji.

    View Comment
  34. A compassionate saintly person such as Radhanath Swami shows a glimpse of spiritual bliss for attracting people to their real nature but they have to pay the price of sincerity to advance in spiritual life.

    View Comment
  35. Good one !!

    View Comment
  36. “In spiritual life, we get a free sample of religious experiences. However for more we must a pay a price of sincerity and dedication”. It is very much true in our experience.

    View Comment
  37. Very Instructive lessons on the basics of spiritual life. A million thanks to swami radhanath 🙂

    View Comment
  38. Very amazing. Such deep realisation from such an apparent small incident. Great people always think in a different way from ordinary man like us.

    Thank you for sharing.

    View Comment

Leave a Reply