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Going beyond hate
May 6, 2010  |  radhanath-swami

Meditations on The Journey Home – Lesson from Chapter 1

While attending Miami Dade College in Florida, Radhanath Swami, as nineteen year old Richard, had the passion for adventure. However, he soon noticed an overwhelming desire taking precedence over everything else in his heart: the desire for spirituality, and an inner quest for subtle realities. He reverentially chanted the sacred syllable Om and practiced Maharshi Mahesh Yogi’s mantra meditation techniques. Thus the seed of spiritual inclination was now slowly growing.

The Vedic teachings extol a human to seek a spiritual goal of life. This quest is a unique endowment of human beings in comparison to animals, who can’t think beyond the four needs of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. The dormant spiritual spark in all of us needs to be fanned, and we need to go beyond mere bodily needs.

Richard’s long hair and open expression of rebellion towards the norms of establishment attracted hatred from many. However, he felt it an honor to be persecuted for a noble ideal rather than ‘sell out’ to popular opinions or fashions of the society. Richard and his friends were disappointed with the temporal ambitions of the materialistic society in the 1960’s, and preferred to seek a deeper meaning to life.

The Vedic sayings assert that a human who refuses to search for inner meaning of life is no better than an animal. Richard’s desire to rise above mediocrity and live a life centered on a noble ideal is noteworthy. Crass animal pursuits by modern man have caused havoc in modern society. Men, due to their insatiable greed have degraded themselves to lower than animals, for an animal society doesn’t face scarcity of food caused by a member of the same species. Animals also do not face a threat of extinction created by other animals; it’s the humans who create artificial scarcity and threaten to destroy all life on this planet. Animals do not have addictions, insomnia or suicidal tendencies, a feature unique to a hedonistic human society.

During this time Richard also began to understand that to hate those who hated him was to share the same disease. He took part in a civil rights march in support of Dr Martin Luther King’s vision. His participation in the march was unique because a white boy had shown up for an Afro-American march, but the meeting almost turned violent when the speaker hurled abuses, incited hatred and revenge, and used Richard as a symbol of everything they despised. Richard escaped in time and later reflected on a passage, “If a person does not have an ideal he’s ready to die for, he has nothing really meaningful to live for.”

Whether it’s the Afro-Americans v/s the whites, or the hundreds of other ‘us’ v/s ‘them’ issues, cultivating hatred rather than love, while seeking justice, is a sad reality of modern times. Radhanath Swami often appeals that the major hunger problem in this world is the hunger to love and be loved. He is emphatic to declare that if we can tap this power of love within all of us, the world will not only be a better place to live in, but also we can have a higher degree of motivation to serve. His logic is simple; he asks, “Who will take care of a child more-a nurse who’s paid thousand dollars a week, or the mother who isn’t paid anything?” what’s the motivation for the mother vis-a vis the nurse? It’s love. He tirelessly appeals to the world to tap the power of forgiveness. “If there is to be any peace of mind or harmony in this world, forgiveness is absolutely crucial. If we cannot forgive, then there is no possibility of any relationships surviving at any level”, says Radhanath Swami.

Young Richard’s realizations grew with his spiritual quest, and from knowing that he shouldn’t hate those who hated him, he now shares a profound wisdom, If we understand the underlying cause of what we think of as bad in someone, instead of being hateful, we will be compassionate. For is not every soul inherently good? A saintly person will hate the disease but love the diseased.”

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46 Comments


  1. Gopinath Chandra Das

    brilliant

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  2. Never thought earlier that any one exists on earth with such qualities.

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  3. When there is unhealthy competition, fear and hate arises. Maharaj said while glorifying Lord’s pastimes with His cowherd boyfriends that those boyfriends of Krsna would also compete but their mood will be to inspire others to outperform themselves. Following in the footsteps maharaj replied brilliantly to a devotee.
    Devotee: Maharaj during this marathon we are planning to distribute 1 lac mahabig books. What should be our prayer to Lordships?
    Maharaj: Pray that we may distribute 1 lac books but also pray that may our score be the lowest of all temples. Let all other temples distribute more than 1 lac books.

    Maharaj’s above words reflect the thinking, feeling and willing of a non envious soul in its original pure state. He perfectly portrays the mood of genuine well-wisher.

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  4. This is the one I will never forget

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  5. “Hatred paralyses life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.”

    Radhanath Swami is teaching this by his example. Thank you very much for this post.

    http://www.radhanathswamiweekly.com

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  6. Radhanath Swami is a Saint by birth who has come to show the way to achieve perfection in this lifetime. He shows how mind could trick a person and trap him in his clutches. By freeing oneself by not coming under influence of the mind one can forgive others even if he is abused by them. Radhanath Swami always says ones greatness is estimated by how he tolerates provoking situations.

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  7. The best line I liked is “A saintly person will hate the disease but love the diseased.” – WOW

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  8. Ram Mohan Gupta

    It’s not easy to go beyond the externals. When we perceive envy, hatred, anger, and similar bad things against us, we immediately become affected. The message reveals the need for us to see beyond; to see the all good soul affected and covered by material disease. I hope to keep this lesson close to my heart so that I may see beyond and thus may become compassionate instead of hateful.

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  9. Really its true – major hunger problem in this world is the hunger to love and be loved

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  10. Sanjiv Chandnani

    “If we understand the underlying cause of what we think as bad in someone we would be compassionate rather than hateful” :-
    THis is what one would think of himslef when others think of him as bad but to think this about someone else’s behavior shows that Radhanath swami has real insight and deep concern towards others.

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  11. Every soul is inherently good. If we can only remember this 24 x 7 our minds would be freed from hate. Hare Krishna.

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  12. Gaurav Bhardwaj

    Very True. Thanks for the insight.

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  13. Whole life goes in these activities – here is friend, here is enemy.

    We usually spend more time on cultivating wrong desires for enemies than loving relationships with friends …in the end hurting ourselves more than anyone else

    All this is simply a game mind! Only way out is when we engage our mind in hearing and understanding from saintly persons like Radhanath Swami

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  14. maharaj! in ur book there are some sensitive situation in ur life and how u handle them with so much of grace and intelligence.ITS NOT ORDINARY!

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  15. Sincere thanks to young Richard who got immense realisations to become a powerful devotee of Lord Krishna in future……….

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  16. Love is really most powerful force in this world which can do amazing things. It’s interesting how basis for all our needs is this single need to love and be loved. Still we hate others. Whatever you give, you get…

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  17. “If a person does not have an ideal he’s ready to die for, he has nothing really meaningful to live for.”
    Wow, this one made me pause….the statement has such depth!

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  18. Very inspiring realisations of Radhanath Swami…….great

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  19. M. Pandurangayya Shetty

    A great soul never sees faults of others. We read Jesus Christ and Haridasa Thakura humiliated but never tried to take revenge on them. Now we are seeing directly the same quality in Radhanath Swami.All glories to Radhanath Swami.

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  20. The faults in others become more obvious to us than the good qualities. Also hate spurs within a moment in the heart which so difficult to get rid of. Had it not been for the guidance & teachings of sadhus like Radhanath Swami, I would practically live the life of an animal.

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  21. Radhanath Swami’s book THE JORNEY HOME and the subsequent teachings are so inspiring……..

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  22. Worth the time to read these notes!

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  23. Radhanath Swami says that every soul inherently good. Therefor a saintly person will not hate anyone, rather will love one and all

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  24. Radhanath Swami truly practices what he preaches and hence loves every one and all who come in contact with him.

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  25. this one is just too good and is one of my favourites, haribol, bhakti

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  26. its just brilliant, HHRM ki Jai, thanks for sharing, rajesh karia

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  27. excellent article, just wonderful to read, rajesh karia

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  28. very correctly said a spiritually elevated person will hate the disease but love the diseased, HHRM ki Jai! bhakti

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  29. Imagine what would happen if GOD hated us for our shortcomings. To love all means to be one with the quality of GOD to treat all equally and lovingly.
    Thank you Radhanath Swami for opening my eyes to this facet of life.

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  30. So true. Major hunger problem in this world is the hunger for love. Thanks maharaj for this beautiful post. Moreover hatred is not the solution , its a problem in general. So why hate and create more problems in our life.

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  31. “If we understand the underlying cause of what we think of as bad in someone, instead of being hateful, we will be compassionate.” Pray to to imbibe this divine quality one day.

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  32. During this time Richard (H H Radhanath Swami) also began to understand that to hate those who hated him was to share the same disease—such a wonderful understanding.HH Radhanath Swami ki jai

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  33. Advantageously, the post is in reality the sweetest on this deserving topic. I harmonise with your conclusions and will thirstily look forward to your coming updates. Just saying thanks will not just be enough, for the wonderful clarity in your writing. I will immediately grab your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates. Good work and much success in your business efforts!

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  34. “Radhanath Swami often appeals that the major hunger problem in this world is the hunger to love and be loved.” What an amazing realization Radhanath Swami has within his deep heart.

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  35. Thanks Maharaj, in your book there are such an sensitive matter that really touches my heart and give an inspiration and motivational to practice sincerly the spiritual path

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  36. Radhanath Swami has nicely spoken about peace formula for better relations.

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  37. Thank you Radhanath Swami to teach us these sublime principles. Hatred is so deep rooted..

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  38. Thank you Radhanath Swami for sharing this higher perspective with us.

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  39. This article is wonderful. Thank you radhanath swami

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  40. I FOUND THE ARTICLE INTERESTING

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  41. When we hear of vedic principles they seem very lofty…we may wonder how people practised these…the main difference today is the lack of teachers…not PhDs in sanskrit, but those who live by these principles and hence make it practical for common man to follow…very rare is to find such genuine teachers like Radhanath Swami…

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  42. Arjun K Ramachandra

    Thank you Radhanath Swami for tirelessly inspiring millions of love-starved humans to tap this great power within themselves and hence make this world a better place.

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  43. the desire for spirituality, and an inner quest for subtle realities.–Modern education no doubt is a spiritual slaughter house.

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  44. HH Radhanath Maharaj teaches us how to have the correct approach towards bad experiences.

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  45. Kalpana Kulkarni

    A saintly person will hate the disease but love the diseased – the hallmark of a great soul – to be compassionate to all living beings!

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