yardstick for spiritual advancement

The following is a transcription of end of a lecture(Q & A)

given in 1994 by HH Radhanath Swami in Pune yatra

He answers

what is the yardstick for spiritual advancement ?

how to understand the difference between imitation & following in the footsteps of previous acarayas ?

what is EGO & how to destroy it ?

---- entusiasm & patience is sign of surrender

enthusiasm --

Krishna i am going to fulfill you desire

i am going to do according to your desire

i am going to fulfill you desire

i am going to chant

i am going to serve devotees & gurudev according to ur desire

i am going to live a pure life according to ur desire

i am going to associate with devotees acc to ur desire

patience -- if it takes one millions birth or one day i am going to continue ON

you see ur problem is ur devo service is conditional & fruitive

you want something for ur self too much

bcos u want that

Krishna is putting you in poisiton of suffering & doubt to purge that from you

just try to make devotees happy

just try to make others happy

just try to please Krishna & chant the holy name putting aside ur own

conception of spiritual advancement

your spiritual advancement is determined by the yardstick is

how selfless you become & how detached from ur own EGO

that is the yardstick of ur advancement

not how many names of god u r chanting everyday ?

not what position u have as far as been a sanyasi or president or senior person

that is nothing to do with spiritual advancement

ur dedication ur willing to put urself as servant

ur willingness to be patient & continue on & endeavour under all circumstances

Krishna wants u to come to that stage

& therefore he will not give u real happiness unless u understand that thats what i need !

to please krsna

i am doing this to please Krishna

please Krishna u get his mercy

& generally what happens is a devotee at certain level of KCON

is not ready to make that choice then that devotee has to fall down for sometime

in complete bewilderment untill he learns that i have to give up this EGO

i have to just be the servant of the servant & try to please krishna with FAITH

at every level of KCON there will be test & impediments meant to improve our quality

of conciousness

& u have reached to certain stage of KCON development thaht Krishna wants u to let go ur ego

& certain material expectation in the name of spiritual life

he wants u let go

& what does it mean to let go

Krishna i am not doing this for my enjoyment

i have faith in previousacaryas & sastras

that if i just continue on in ur living service u r going to give me

whatever i need so i am going to continue

i am not going to complain

if ur given the right instruction coming fomr sadhu sastra

u have nothing to worry abt

all u have to do is follow with humility

how to protect from imitating ?

difference between imitating & following in the footsteps of previous acaryas

in other words we should behave according to the instruction of guru & krishna

we are doing this for purification

we r not doing this for prestige or adoration or fame

imitator wants adoration as a fruit for devo service

a sincere devotee wants service to please the lord please the vaishnavas & he wants

purification

& that means even if u get no adoration even if u r condemned or blasphemed for what u do u accept that as all part of the purification

for imitator cannot withstand

u have to examine what r ur motives in KCON

do u want to serve , please , purify

or want material benefits

u have constantly examine these motives & check this ego when it appears in our heart

& just be SIMPLE

KCon is simple for simple & complicated for the complicated

they are so many devotees who are blissfully serving while others are in doubts & suffering

& they are doing exactly the same thing

one has a simple approach

other has complicated

how to have a simple approach

-- just hear submissively

& follow with faith

u cannot figure out ur own spiritual advancement

all u can do is serve Krishna

Ego create doubt??

-- ego has ulterior motives

& it wants to justify it ulterior motives

& faith comes from submissively hearing

they is no other way to gain true faith just as sun dispels darkness

if we are hearing submissively

then we r allowing the light if krishnas mercy to illuminate our heart to dispel our doubts

but we have EGO then we are not allowing to dispel our doubts

we have our own conceptions we have our own ideas opinions

we have our own ways

& what guru & krishna says & that matches with mine then i accept it

& if it doesnot then i have to question it whats in it for me

that ego is breeding ground for doubt

whay bcos u r preventing the light of faith entering into ur heart

ego blocks KRISHNAS mercy

ego kicks krishna out

where there is no KRISHNA there is DARKness

darkness means doubt

humility allows krishna IN

ego closes the door & keep everything in darkness

it breeds DOUBT bcos it prevents KRISHNAS mercy to come in

trnad api sunicena ....

in that humility if one chants the holy name our heart are ready to recieve the blessings

of the holy name

to the degree we have that humility our heart is open for the message of bhagavatam to dispel our doubts

Spiritual master is one who with great humility is serving the lord & previous acaryas like a delivery man giving message without adulteration thru life & teachings

Srila Prabhupad said read his books

all ur doubts will be displed u will have clear vision

you will understand what is what !!!

Machine to feed you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJesKy0LiOc

Machines are DEAD things
they cannot perceive Or feel emotions
they shall act according to their programming regardless of the Persons dissatisfaction.

The Magic of Spiritual master

Some are looking for magic or miracle to happen when one accept a spiritual master .

they think that now they shall get Krishna easily !?

Well thats TRUE !!

but Krishna has his own terms to give himself to YOU that we have satisfy.

So what does the Spiritual master do !?

What is the magic of Guru?

The magic of guru is that He gives a drop of mercy from the spiritual world

He makes us experience that supreme pleasure that we are looking for

in order that we become more & more eager to get it & return back to spiritual world.

Some simply take that happiness & be satisfied & turn back to the illusory pleasures of the material world & then keep thinking what is the use of initiation ? simply a change in name!?

who can understand the mercy of guru ?

well only a grateful person can understand the mercy of guru

He understands that his guru has accepted him as his disciple with all his faults

everywhere in this material world nobody accepts an unqualified person

everyones asks for qualification but GURU who is a Vaishnava he accepts you regardless of your qualification

He accepts simply by seeing your sincerity ,struggles & despair in surrendering to Krishna.

This is the mercy of Guru

a proud or doubtful person cannot understand this!!

what are the symptoms of a grateful person who has experienced that one drop of spiritual bliss ?

what does he do after that ?

It is explained in the song below

he Begs to get purified he cannot tolerate the 6 enemies in his heart which are torturing him & inhibiting him to surrender to Krishna

He begs for that one drop of mercy & faith & he runs after his Guru crying out KRISHNA KRISHNA !!!

He becomes more eager to get KRISHNA --- that is the real symptom of a grateful person.

Song Name: Ohe Vaisnava Thakura

Official Name: Bhajana Lalasa Song 7

Author: Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Book Name: Saranagati

Language: Bengali

LYRICS:

(1)

ohe! vaiṣṇaba ṭhākura, doyāra sāgara,

e dāse koruṇā kori'

diyā pada-chāyā, śodho he āmāya,

tomāra caraṇa dhori

(2)

chaya bega domi', chaya doṣa śodhi',

chaya guṇa deho' dāse

chaya sat-sańga, deho' he āmāre,

bosechi sańgera āśe

(3)

ekākī āmāra, nāhi pāya bala,

hari-nāma-sańkīrtane

tumi kṛpā kori', śraddhā-bindu diyā,

deho' kṛṣṇa-nāma-dhane

(4)

kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dīte pāro,

tomāra śakati āche

āmi to' kāńgāla, 'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' boli',

dhāi tava pāche pāche

TRANSLATION

1) O venerable Vaisnava. O ocean of mercy, be merciful unto your servant. Give me the shade of your lotus feet and purify me. I hold on to your lotus feet.

2) Teach me to control my six passions; rectify my six faults, bestow upon me the six qualities, and offer unto me the six kinds of holy association.*

3) I do not find the strength to carry on alone the sankirtana of the holy name of Hari. Please bless me by giving me just one drop of faith with which to obtain the great treasure of the holy name of Krsna.

4) Krsna is yours. You have the power to give Him to me. I am simply your servant running behind you shouting, "Krsna! Krsna!"

REMARKS/EXTRA INFORMATION:

*The six passions are those pertaining to words, the mind, anger, the tongue, the stomach and the genitals. The six faults are overeating, attachment to material things, inability to follow regulative principles, sense gratification, useless idle talk, and impure habits. The six positive qualities are enthusiasm in practicing devotional service, firm faith in devotional processes, a strong desire to attain prema-bhakti, a favorable service attitude, avoidance of non-devotees, and appreciation of the company of devotees. The six methods of association are to go to an assembly of devotees, to invite devotees into one's home, to discuss and hear devotional topics, to take the maha-prasada of devotees and to offer maha-prasada to devotees.

And this shall be my Attitude in spiritual life after getting one drop

mercy from my guru.

I pray to Radha madan mohan that i donot become complacent to this mercy.

I shall beg from guru & cry before him to get KRISHNA.

- Vrajendra kumar das.

I received a very nice quote from HH Bir Krishna Das Goswami Maharaj on the same lines............

To become a disciple means to be disciplined by the words and the desire of the spiritual master. It is a very simple thing. It does not mean that you get your magic spiritual name at the time of initiation and then you are the official member of the organization... but it means basically that one has to internalize that discipline within one's heart.
(from Srila Gurudeva's lecture on 'Good association', New Goloka, Dec.4, 2009)

The Act of Surrender

When the police shouts " Hands up "
The thief listens to the police

So the Act of Surrender to Lord Krishna is to listen , to follow the instruction of Lord Krishna

so here is the greatest instruction of Lord Krishna in Bhagavad gita

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi satyaḿ te

pratijāne priyo 'si me

TRANSLATION

Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

http://vedabase.net/bg/18/65/en

http://vedabase.net/bg/18/66/en

The process of surrender to Kṛṣṇa is described in the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (11.676):

ānukūlyasya sańkalpaḥ

prātikūlyasya varjanam

rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso

goptṛtve varanaḿ tathā

ātma-nikṣepa-kārpaṇye

ṣaḍ-vidhā śaraṇāgatiḥ

According to the devotional process, one should simply accept such religious principles that will lead ultimately to the devotional service of the Lord. One may perform a particular occupational duty according to his position in the social order, but if by executing his duty one does not come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all his activities are in vain. Anything that does not lead to the perfectional stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be avoided. One should be confident that in all circumstances Kṛṣṇa will protect him from all difficulties. There is no need of thinking how one should keep the body and soul together. Kṛṣṇa will see to that. One should always think himself helpless and should consider Kṛṣṇa the only basis for his progress in life. As soon as one seriously engages himself in devotional service to the Lord in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, at once he becomes freed from all contamination of material nature. There are different processes of religion and purificatory processes by cultivation of knowledge, meditation in the mystic yoga system, etc., but one who surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa does not have to execute so many methods. That simple surrender unto Kṛṣṇa will save him from unnecessarily wasting time. One can thus make all progress at once and be freed from all sinful reactions.

A tapasavi is one who rejects all that unfavourable for devotional service & accepts all that is Favourable for devotional service

Taking shelter means that we have to be convinced that we are stuck in MAYA (illusion), we have so many bad habits, we are attracted to dead flesh and bones, hence the only way that we can be saved by falling into illusion is by CRYING out to Krishna to help. This is basically taking shelter. TAKING SHELTER of someone means you know that there is really no other hope. So as long as we are not convinced about this fact (in our heart), we cannot truly take shelter of the Holy Name.

One would take shelter when he knows that he does not know anything.

he understands that nothing is in his control & everything is in Krishnas control

when we realise that how much we donot know we take shelter ....... HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj

So in surrendering to Krishna one has to take shelter of the divine nature of Krishna ie Radharani simply because as devotional service is the ultimate thing to liberate from body then

what service will please Krishna ? do we know this ?? absolutely NOT

but Radharani is the only person who knows what pleases Krishna so we have to shelter of Radharani to learn & co-operate in pleasing Krishna .

This is basically Surrendering .

The Dance of Surrender

The Dance of Surrender

I always wondered why we dance with our hands raised??

I am very shy person , very reserved but at the very first mangal arati of my life at
Sri Sri Radha Kunjhabihari mandir Iskcon pune my hands raised for the first time
without reservation & i danced !
And till today i dance without reservation , an amazing thing happens which cannot be described in words ,when the hare krishna maha mantra enters your ears.
It is the spiritual experience which make many devotees dance. Mostly all devotees are
very shy & timid personalities but when it comes to Kirtan something Amazing happens
we just shed away our SHYNESS.

Krishna says in 18.66 gita that we should surrender to him in loving devotional service
& to actually demonstrate the process of Surrendering he comes as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu & Teaches us the DANCE of SURRENDER.

like a police cop when he points his gun to you says " HAND UP !!!!! SURRENDER !!!! ELSE i shall shoot you " The hands go up



Similarly we are been taught on how to surrender but in a very loving & voluntarily way
This is the greatness of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu
Who freely gives the Spiritual taste regardless of ones Qualification !




Why one should hear about KRISHNA only ?
As i analyse we are very eager to hear about great famous personalities like film stars , politics etc
but we are not satisfied by them because they are tasteless
We are ALL looking for a person who has infinite amount of all 6 qualities namely 1) Fame 2) Beauty 3) strength 4) knowledge 5) renunciation & 6) wealth

And we are misplacing our search on temporary false personalities of this world
who have only an iota of one of the above qualities.

And Krishna is the only Person who has all 6 qualities in infinite proportions

One hears about the flimstars from magazines dedicated to films & these magazines can create amazing taste for persons in a particular film star.
Similarly we should hear about Krishna from persons & sources which are fully dedicated to KRISHNA ie the SRIMAD bhagavatam & guru.

so our dance is nothing but an expression of Surrender to Lord
& prayer that i have heard a lot about your greatness Oh Krishna ! I have thus come to take shelter of YOU.Please engage me in your service .