It was the April of 2004. One evening, after returning from a cultural program at Columbia University, Radhanath Swami sat at Bhaktivedanta Ashram, New York, conversing with his yoga students. At about 11.00 p.m., the conversation got exciting when Radhanath Swami began speaking about his early experiences with teaching bhakti yoga in North America. The amazing intensity with which he spoke and the shine in his eyes when he talked about each experience brought out the voracious appetite he has to give the precious gift of bhakti to the whole world. Each experience that he explained (although he joked and made the whole episode light!) showed me how much risk and inconveniences he took to give the pure message of Bhagavad Gita to so many souls.
Towards the end he stated in no unclear terms and with absolute intensity that helping people of the western world with bhakti was what Srila Prabhupad, his guru, really wanted. I said, “It seems so difficult to go out of the way to help others. I have tried so hard to do it…” He immediately cut me off, “Have you really tried hard enough? You have to use and really tax your brain to think out ways and means to help people with their lives. You have to take the risk. And when you take the risk, miracles will unfold. You have to become a compassionate instrument in God’s hands! That is the greatest joy! God performs miracles and you simply enjoy being the spectator of God’s miracles!”
I said, “It is so difficult even to pray to become an instrument…” He cut me off again with such intensity that I had my heart in my mouth for a moment. “That is because you are puffed up!! You have high birth, good learning, and lot of money, and you forget it’s all God given. How can you pray with intensity? You are simply puffed up, that’s all!”
The next day’s prayers felt so good, for they were perhaps the best prayers of my life; it looked like I was a little humbled by Radhanath Swami’s chastisement the previous night!
It was the rarest occasion of Radhanath Swami chastising me, or any of his students. He was imploring me to experience the happiness of selfless service that he himself experienced. But in the process, his compassionate heart erupted like a volcano, giving me a glimpse of the lava of humility that made it compassionate. I learnt one more lesson: we have to cultivate humility for our prayers to atleast touch our own hearts!
— Ramanath Subramanian, CEO, Bhakti Centre, New York City.
157 replies on “Radhanath Swami Erupts”
maharaj said it right…we have tried enough.we often get puffed up and thats the reason we cannot access mercy of guru and krishna….HHRNSM ki jai
Thank you for sharing this. Radhanath Swami exactly knows what works with people to bring them closer to God.
All Glories To H.H.Radhanath Swami Maharaj
Only a spiritual Guru can really make us aware of our real self, because it is their determination and faith that sets them apart.
Hare Krishna
A Sadhu cuts the shackles of ignorance by his words. They may be sweet words or sometimes in the form of chastisement. But the intention of both is to bring a person closer to God which also happened in this particular case. Thank you very much Radhanath Swami for your kindness.
Thank u 4 sharing!
Radhanath Swamis preaching is based on his own practice so when he speaks with so much conviction it simply penetrates our hearts and forces us to go deeper.
Radhanath Swami soft like butter, and hard like thunder bolt just to help others in their spiritual path. He so effective on inspirig others whether he is soft or hard because he has no slefish motivations, what ever he does simply to please God and solve the real problems of humanity.
Chastisement of great soul is blessing only fortunate peole gets it.
Fortunate are those who receives Maharaj”s chastisement
HH Radhanth Swami is so cocerned how to benefit people of this world. How much compassionate Radhanath Swami is!
Maharaj chastisement is like burning of our false ego, pride, lust,anger and become humble like a blade of grass where every one is stepping and still remains unchanged. Thank you for sharing Prabhuji.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience of eruption of volcano of Radhanath Swami. Its amazing how Radhanath Swami sacrificed to uplift others.
Spiritual leader always do the needful to bring us close to God the ways we may not like it but on reaching the destination our hearts will be filled with gratitude.
jai….
Very inspiring! Mr. Subramanian was submissive in receiving the essence of devotional service from Radhanath Swami, and hence the advice was so effective.
Thank you for sharing this!It shows that how Radhanath Swami is constantly inspiring his students to stretch higher and higher in the service of giving the pure message of God to all the needy.
HH Radhanath Swami Maharaja’s life is full of sacrifice to give the rarest gift of devotion to Krsna to whoever came in touch with him.
Thank you for sharing this. Radhatnath Swami instructed and empowered you to become an instrument of compassion in the succession as his spritual master empowered him. This incident is very instrunctive and inspiring for all of us as well.
radhanath swami is the link from the spiritual world he simply fills the gap in our life to complete our life’s goal, to go back home back to the spiritual world, the original home,
We have heard of very less incidents of devotees experiencing Radhanath Swami’s chastisement….Thanks for sharing this…….Swamiji is a great & ferocius preacher……
he was so fortunate to get instructed by H H Radhanath Swami!
Rasnath prabhu ki jai. So when i last met you in New York, you did not share the second part – about Radhanath Swami chastising. Very happy to rad this experience though. I have the same problem. Not able to preach because can not take risks. And can not take risks because of having too much ego – thank you so much for sharing this
Very nice instruction, I am going to do my best to follow and benefit to be worthy of Maharajas association
Thanks a zillion for sharing this Ramnath!! What maharaj is saying is absolutely true but so difficult to execute because we are caught up with so many selfish pursuits that we just don’t try hard enough to care for and help the suffering world. In a God Conscious culture, we have the solution for every problem in this world yet we are not eager to distribute it due to our false pride. Great souls like Radhanath Swami however, are literally living for benifiting the suffering humanity. May we all strive to follow in the footsteps of these compassionate exalted leaders.
Very inspiring passtime….
Radhanath Swami sometimes chastises us so that we wake up from our deep slumber & get serious about Krishna-consciousness. He is really very concerned about the spiritual well-being of all.
Here Radhanat Swami shows once again what he says he applies same his life, once he said “Radhanath Swami on good leadershipA good leader is hard like a thunderbolt and soft like a rose.One without the other does not work. If a leader is just soft like a rose, he cannot train anyone. If he is just hard like a thunderbolt, he will burn everyone out.” He is usually soft like rose but here he is hard like thunderbolt in order to show correct path. Thanks Maharaj
After reading this nice experience, I also long to relish the happiness by giving myself completely to the selefless service of others by being the instrument in the hand of God… But as Radhanath Swami Maharaj clearly detected… I am too puffed… I hope the burden of my false ego gets reduced by God’s grace.
Such instructions from great spiritualist like Radhanath Swami bring out the true self in an individual. The real nature comes out by chiseling out the unwanted things. Radhanath Swami’s instructions can help one to go in the higher realms of spirituality experiencing the mellows of selfless service.
Instrument of compassion in God’s hands that is amazing. Never imagined this principle. Thank you to Radhanath Swami for such an insight.
It takes a high level of purity to see the intent of a person’s objections and respond to that rather than miss the opportunity to enter the person’s heart by only responding to the content of the objection. Radhanath Swami has that purity and concern for his students. This is what makes Radhanath Swami so dear to his yoga pupils.
You are indeed very fortunate to be chastised by Radhanath Swami. It’s a rare occasion.
A very rare pastime of Radhanath Swmai Maharaj, in which he chastises his students. He just like an expert doctor, knows how to make the surgery successful on the patient!! I hope and pray that someday i may be also be able to offer prayers in a sincere way so that i can become an instrument in God’s hand.
Really thanks for sharing this.
Good God! What an experience this is, from what I have been fortunate to witness and understand from Radhananth Swamis discourses he makes it very evident no effort is good enough, unless we don’t have the fire in the belly so strong that we must be desperate in our endeavor to give the greatest gift to others, that of seeking out the most important goal of human life – “service to the Lord’ irrespective of what faith we follow and to chant his names. Others Rejection of our endeavor should not become cause of our Dejection.
When great souls like Radhanath swami even chatises, it will be for our benefit. Because Radhanath Swami genuinely concern about the true welfare of all the living entities, even His chastisements become blessings.
I wish I was the one under fire, All Glories To H.H.Radhanath Swami Maharaj
ONly a pure hearted saint liek Radhanath Swami can be so direct, frank and incisive. Most would have got cowed down by your “high birth, good learning, and lot of money”.
Very inspiring passtime. Only fortunate one gets chastisment from real sadhu.
Radhanath Swami practises what he preaches. Thus he knows the intensity and seriousness of what we do or dont.
Thank you very much for sharing this. Whatever Maharaj does is with intensity. His kirtans in yatras are very intense too.
what a blessing!!
This shows how deeply concerned Radahanath Swami Maharaj is towards showing compassion to others.
AN OYSTER DEVELOPS A PEARL BECAUSE A GRAIN OF SAND IRRITATES IT
Mr.Ramanath seems to have been at the receiving end of the mercy given out by Radhanath Swami. Jai Ho! How fortunate!
Its heartening to see such trust between the spiritual master and his students without which its impossible to make spiritual advancement.
Haribol this was a beautiful episode with maharaj. This cleared so many doubts in my mind. Its true unless we shed our egos we will not be able to pray humbily to God. And the best way to dance is to dance on his tunes, just being an instrument in his hands trying to be a part of his miracles!!! Very beautiful experience!
Radhanath swami has always been strongly determined in his efforts to help the suffering people of this world to serve and undertsand GOD.Thank you Radhanath Swami you have set up such a wonderful example for the society
humble yet uncompromising.very nice.
Very nice, thank you for sharing..
Radhanath Swami chastising would still be so sweet!! Thank you for sharing this lovely episode. Makes us realize that these instructions are not just for you, but all of us who are in reality puffed up…..Radhanath Swami is truly gentle and humble in his dealings with everyone.