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American by birth, Indian at heart
April 12, 2011  |  radhanath-swami

Richard (now Radhanath Swami)’s six months of adventure filled travels was now entering an exciting phase. Since he’d heard the voice of God in his heart at Crete that told him to go to India, each day he had been looking forward. Now having reached Lahore from Peshwar, Richard was all set to enter India through the Hussainiwalla border. A stout lady at the immigration desk refused entry to Richard demanding money. She also gave instructions to her colleague who came at the night shift to not allow the ‘nuisance’ –Richard- into India. Richard once again meekly approached the tall Sikh officer and pleaded him to allow entrance into the great land of India. Richard cried tears that he had left the comforts of America to search for India’s spiritual treasures and he narrated how he had risked his life. Richard promised that someday he will do something good for the people of India. The Sikh officer relented and stamped his legal entrance into India.

 

Radhanath Swami did fulfill his promise to the Sikh immigration officer. Once I spoke to Dr. Ranjit Wagle, an Opthalmology specialist and a citizen of India who since his childhood dreamt of going to America and becoming a billionare. After becoming a doctor he was earning well and was all set to go to the US. During this time he met Radhanath Swami who requested him to offer some services for the poor and needy in North Indian villages. By the end of the month long camp, Dr. Ranjit’s heart had changed; the act of selfless service filed his heart with a deep inner fulfillment and he changed his plan. He now stays in India and serves the needy. At a time when the Indians are forgetting their own roots and blindly aping the Western countries, Radhanath Swami reminds the Indians the need to render service here.

 

At a time when more than eighty percent of the doctors in India work in the cities, the villages have suffered due to lack of medical facilities. Radhanath Swami pioneered rural eye camps free of cost. Today many medical students and doctors visit these annual camps and help the needy in rural areas. Radhanath Swami is now inspiring many to settle in Indian villages. I am amazed how an American born has so much love and concern for this country.

 

Radhanath Swami is also inspiring a team of dedicated people to serve food to the poor and needy children in schools daily. The project, ‘Mid Day Meal’ is an initiative of ISKCON Food Relief Foundation, inspired by the tireless leadership of Radhanath Swami. The ISKCON Food Relief Foundation is at present implementing the Mid Day Meal Project in 14 centers across India, cooking for more than 6,60,6000 school going children every day. At present, in Mumbai alone there are four units with state-of-the-art ISO 9001-2000 certified kitchens.

 

Radhanath Swami regrets that India is so much concerned with building better cars , better bombs and better technology when the west has already perfected that and are destroying the world with it. Radhanath Swami insists that India’s opulence is in its transcendental knowledge. “Indians are tossing aside the most valuable diamond of spirituality to pick up the broken pieces of glass of materialism”, says Radhanath Swami. He repeats the words of his guru, “Any family in India that has more than one child should give at least one child for a spiritual cause to spread the glories of India throughout the world.”

 

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114 Comments


  1. Before coming in contact with ISKCON , I too was of the same mind set as most of the modern indians have. i.e. India is backward and western countries are advanced. but after being completely frustrated by following so called western culture , i now take pride in ancient India’s profound knowledge and at the same time feel pity with those new youngsters falling in the same pitfall which I had fallen in. Thank you swamiji for rescuing me and I will try to assist you to rescue others too.

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  2. Radhanath Swami Maharaj ki jai!

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  3. Indians are tossing aside the most valuable diamond of spirituality to pick up the broken pieces of glass of materialism – how true is this observation ,just by taking a look around the way things are going makes one feel compassionate.
    Radhanath Swami is relentlessly giving us a true vedic way of life, question is how many takers are there?

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  4. So much welfare work done by Radhanth Swami for everyone …really very inspiring .I also want to follow in his footsteps in my life .

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  5. thank u for this…

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  6. HH Radhanath Swami very quickly imbibed the vedic culture and very expertly distributing to every one even to the Indian who have forgotten their original way of life and turning towards west. HH Radhanath Swami rediscovered this valuable lost culture of ancient India and time and again demostrated its value. We have to just follow and reinvent ourselves.

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  7. rambaboo maheshwari

    This is the power of association.

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  8. Maharaj’s observation is amazingly real. If we don’t stop imitating the west in material progress, coming generation will suffer the most.

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  9. Very inspiring article.

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  10. Amazing and very inspiring.

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  11. Indians should learn from Radhanath Swami and take to spirituality seriousely now.

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  12. Very inspiring !!!

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  13. Jitendra Pardeshi

    Richard (now Radhanath Swami)has more than fulfilled his promise of doing something good for the people of India. He has done the best, transcendental and continues further for the rest of the world. Thank you Radhanath Swami Maharaj.

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  14. Radhanath Swami has truely touched life of so many people across the globe..He is just like a touch stone..one can’t remain the same once came in contact with Him..The journey towards absolute takes off immediately..for eternal happiness.

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  15. The eagerness with which Maharaj searched for God 40 years ago, with same eaerness he has shown compassion to the body and soul of the people of this world.

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  16. Really inspiring!!!

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  17. Thank you Radhanath Swami for awakening the responsibility amongst the Indians to elevate the sufferings of people of their own nation and thereby the whole world by selfless service of distributing transcendental knowledge.

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  18. Radhanath Swami is revealing the glories of India’s ancient wisdom, which has been totally forgotten in the hues and cries of advancement. Thus he is truly Indian @ heart!!!

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  19. This is what the practical application of devotional principles.

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  20. “Any family in India that has more than one child should give at least one child for a spiritual cause to spread the glories of India throughout the world”.This way we can create a revolution in changing the society.

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  21. HHRNSM is simply heart transforming to billions of people of our country, Maharaj ki Jai!, haribol, rajesh karia

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  22. very inspiring article, haribol, bhakti

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  23. Narendra kumar yadav

    Hare Krishna,

    Dandavat Pranam to Radhanath Swami.

    Radhey Radhey

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  24. Really very inspiring…

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  25. Really amazing!

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  26. Maharaj has not only fulfilled his promise but he sacrificed himself for the country and preaching Prabhupad’s teachings.

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  27. It’s high time we stop running after materialism and preserve India’s rich vedic heritage. It’s the responsibility of very parent to imbibe this spirit into their children

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  28. HARE KRISHNA,

    IT IS VERY TOUCHING,IN MY LIFE I FILL SCARED WHEN I SEE DOG,CAT & COW.

    IT IS VERY INSPIRING TO ME.

    IT TOUCHED MY HEART.

    THANKS FOR SHARING IT.

    HARI BOL.

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  29. Very Inspiring – “Indians are tossing aside the most valuable diamond of spirituality to pick up the broken pieces of glass of materialism”. Thanks for sharing these wonderful realizations.

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  30. This article really proves how indian are this close to god but are running in the opposite direction whereas the west is far away but now exhausted all material plans now turning towards god and spirituality. This is the irony. We should understand this and try to turn our energies towards strengthening our vedic and spiritual heritage.

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  31. In a day and age wherein the vast majority of Indians are blindly imitating the west, Radhanath Swami is reversing the trend by convincing the people of the value of their own culture, heritage and the invaluable contribution that they can make to the world. I feel so fortunate to have known this person. Thank you very much, Radhanath Swami!

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  32. Very nice article based on the book of Radhanath Swami.

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  33. Very valuable contribution and keeping up the promise

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  34. Radhanath Swami is an amazing person; wish each leader of our society was like him.

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  35. Dr Memane Nanasaheb

    H.H. Radhanath Swami is giving such a wonderfull understanding

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  36. You promised to the officer, that one day you will do something good for the people of india. Really you have changed our lives maharaj.

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  37. ashwini jangam

    I appreciate radhanath swami’s project of mid-school lunch.

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  38. Wonderful article.. thank you Radhanath Swami for explaining us the glory of our mother land.

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  39. Dear Radhanath Swami thank you for teching us how to be an actual Indian.
    http://www.radhanath-swami.info

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  40. i found the quote of srila prabhupada, said by radhanath maharaj,very inspiringly practical that a family having more than one child, lead atleast one child to distibute the rich spiritual culture of india…. heard it for the first time. very grateful to maharaj to help me realize our lost and forgotten treasure of rich spiritual heritage-devotion to Krsna.

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  41. Dashrath Wasmatkar

    Radhanath Swami has fulfilled his promise to that Sikh Officer in every way and that too, not just “something good for Indians”, but doing “All good for Indians and in a large scale”. Radhanath Swami is really an amazing personality.

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  42. great example of vedic culture by radhanath swami

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  43. many thanks to swamiji for these inspiring stories

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  44. Yes, Radhanath Swami is truly an Indian….

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  45. Yes it is very true

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  46. Very Inspiring

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  47. Very inspiring. We think that by improving our technology only,we are progressing. But truth is that by making our lifestyle as given in our vedic culture, we can make progress in the path of going back to Godhead which is the only goal of our life. Then only we’ll be called “civilized”. Thank you Maharaj for reminding us the values of our culture.

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