Radhanath Swami—softer than a rose or…
By It So Happened on February 9, 2012 | Category: Expert | Tags: ashram, courage, instructions, radhagopinath, Radhanath Swami, spiritual, srila prabhupada, The journey home, weekness | 96 CommentsAfternoon-silence occupied the Radhagopinath Ashram as some monks napped while the others pored over the scriptures. …I heard ONLY the loud screams of my restless thoughts!
Taking a walk through the ashram corridors–for no particular reason–I met Radhanath Swami on the way. In reflex I struck a conversation—a long premeditated one.
“I have been unable to follow one of your instructions,” I effused.
“What is that?”
“Seven years ago when I had joined the ashram you had instructed me to keep sanctified food and water in the bird feeder every day.” I was referring to the bird feeder in the garden; Vrindavan Forest, the garden in our ashram backyard, serves as an oasis for birds of downtown Mumbai. “I haven’t been able to follow that instruction, sometimes circumstantially and sometimes due to personal negligence.” By now tears of sincerity were brimming in my eyes—and my greedy mind began to anticipate a sympathetic embrace from Radhanath Swami, the warmth of which I had experienced innumerable times.
Surprisingly, he remained stoic through my ramble. “You should do it,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone and walked away.
It was unlike his kind demeanor, for he wanted to teach me a lesson: determined perseverance in following instructions is essential for spiritual progress, while sneak-out excuses are detrimental.
Months later when Radhanath Swami’s Autobiography The Journey Home was published, a passage in it struck me:
It is said that a saintly personality can be softer than a rose or harder than a thunderbolt. This morning, one guest made excuse after excuse to defend his immoralities and spiritual weaknesses. Srila Prabhupada listened, then his voice rose like thunder, “If you are weak, rectify it. If you have no determination, you have no character. What makes you different from an animal?” The man shrunk like a punctured balloon. Bowing down, he promised to do what he knew was right. When required, Srila Prabhupada could be very strict to emphasize the urgency of a person’s predicament. Like a scalpel in the hands of an expert surgeon, his strong words cut only to heal. Or as he himself explained, “A spiritual teacher is required to have the courage of a British General and the heart of a Bengali mother.”
Gajanan Bhat
Hemant Solanki
Hare Krishna Thank You for sharing a nice article.
Rajeshwari Marchande
We think there is enough time to live But we never know which moment is the last. So Love, Forgive And Celebrate Every Moment of Life with Krishna……….
Sunny Hinduja
Very nice
Anagha Warade
Thank you for sharing…
madhura
wonderful article.
Vidya
An instructive article.
Sundar
Thank you for sharing this instructive lesson
navin poojary
Thank you for sharing!
pradeep lalwani
yes its very true
Anagha Warade
Thank you for sharing….
anil
nice one .. thanks for sharing.
vrushali
“A spiritual teacher is required to have the courage of a British General and the heart of a Bengali mother.”
So true!
Y.Raja Shekar
This quality of being softer than rose and harder than the thunder bolt for the ultimate benefit of people is the unique one of the great saints like HH Radhanath Swami.
Y.Raja Shekar
The great saints like HH Radhanath Swami exhibits this rare quality of some times being soft like rose and other times like a thunder bolt only to transofr the hearts of others.
Y.Raja Shekar
The great saints like HH Radhanath Swami exhibits this rare quality of some times being soft like rose and other times like a thunder bolt only to transform the hearts of others.
anjan
many thanks to swami radhanath for the nice article
Saurabh
Thank you very much for sharing this.
Arjun K Ramachandra
A very difficult combination indeed – courage of an englishman and heart of a bengali mother!
shailesh
Very Nice.Hare Krsna !
Ramnika
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful article. H.H Radhanath Swami is full of compassion and mercy.
chandra
Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful experiance
nandkishor das
thanks hari bol
priya aiyar
Guru Maharaj is like a spiritual guide and by simply following His instructions one can easily succeed in attaining the ultimate goal of life.Besides Maharaj’s instructions are very practical.One must simply follow them without any other recourse.
madhura
Thank you for sharing!
kamlesh
very nice …..thank u so much
shailesh
Jay Sri Sri Radhanath Swami Maharaj ! Beautiful past time .
rachna
Super article… thanks for sharing…
shailesh
Thank you for sharing such wonderful article.Hare Krsna !
Tallam Sita Ramaiah
Thank you very much for sharing this.
ASH
Thanks for sharing
Meghana
very beautiful thank you very much for sharing.
Rajeev
THank you very much for sharing.
biswajit
Hare Krishna… Radhanath Swami Ki Jai !
Tallam Sita Ramaiah
All glories to H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj.
Tallam Sita Ramaiah
Thank you for sharing this.
nandkishor das
thanks
Guruprasad
Thanks for this article, Hare Krishna
Anagha Warade
very Nice!!!!
shailesh
Thank you for sharing ! Jay Sri Sri Radhanath Maharaj !
madhura
Haribol!
sanbaran
thank you so much gurudev!
saurabh
Thank you so much for sharing…
sri vallabhi dd
Thank you for sharing wonderful instruction
Y.Raja Shekar
HH Radhanath Swami is really soft like Rose as some times he does not even care for his health to do the highest welfare activity of spreading the holy names of God all over the World.
Sharath
Hari Hari!
Amazing realization.
Whatever the spiritual master tells and does is for our purification only. We should carefully meditate on his instructions in order to access mercy of the Lord by pleasing him.
mala sharma
hari bol….
really we are animal without determination.