On 14th May a plane crashed in Jomsom, Nepal, and among those killed were eight Krishna devotees from Mumbai. Radhanath Swami’s reaction to the disaster revealed the heart of a transcendentalist on the Bhakti path. A Bhakti Yogi realizes that the soul is eternal, beyond death—and that understanding keeps the yogi equipoised in the face of the death of a dear one. Yet, the yogi feels separation, for now the medium of exchange of spiritual love, which was the material body, is no longer functional. Radhanath Swami said in the memorial ceremony, “When I learned about it the shock was so immense that it was difficult to try to philosophically reason. Sometimes things that affect the heart so deeply, we simply have to take shelter of the Lord. What is beyond our intelligence, what is beyond our ability to deal with is a time when we can helplessly cry out forKrishna.”
Radhanath Swami cut short his tour of the United States to return to Mumbai and help the near and dear ones of the departed take shelter of Krishna.
Few of us went to the airport to receive Radhanath Swami. As we drove back to the ashram, Radhanath Swami spoke of the eternality of the soul. He explained how the eternal souls of the devotees killed were under the loving care of Krishna. As a discussion ensued, a fellow monk chimed in, “I flew to Jomsom the day after the crash to collect the bodies of these devotees.” To the surprise of everyone around, Radhanath Swami responded appallingly, “Why did you go there?” Silent moments passed. Radhanath Swami was disturbed that another dear devotee had risked going to the same place. But this trip made by the monk was necessary, or else how could the dead bodies be procured for the last rites?
“I went to collect the bodies,” reiterated the monk.
Again silence.
“But…..but……. why did you go there?” Radhanath Swami sighed.
I thought. This sweetness of spiritual love amid a balanced philosophical approach to life is what makes Bhakti Yoga beautiful.
—Krishna Das
98 replies on “Bhakti—Head vs. Heart”
Many thanks for sharing this loving exchange between Radhanath swami and his students
This is really a heart touching incident and it is hard to see how a Bhakti yogi like Radhanath swami felt in seperation with the devotees as the body is the medium to perform spiritual activities.
This is so heart wrenching. I can understand the plight of Swamiji and the devotees. Thank you swamiji for caring for every soul.
This incident is touches the heart of any devotee. We need spiritual leaders like H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj to guide in difficult situations like this.
do not know what to write…hence just offering my obeisances to Radhanath Swami and all the devotees.thank u very much.
A very heart touching experience and it goes to show how important it is to seek guidance of a Spiritual Master for better understanding of things in our lives, ys!
as rightly mentioned the soul is always eternal and we are very fortunate that we have Spiritual Leaders like HHRNSM to take the selfless efforts in guiding us and bringing our community together always, Ys, rajesh karia!
A sobering article.
its hard to understand the heart of a bhaki yogi
balance of heart and head is very important in bhakti.
Swamiji’s heart is so soft & caring……
Thank you so much for giving us a deeper insight of this incident.
Thank you for sharing this insightful incident showing Radhanath swami’s hearftfelt affection for everyone.
The last statement here – the art of balancing spiritual love with philosophical reasoning is certainly not easy and yet that is exactly what is the essence of bhakti yoga.
very true.. its difficult to know what to follow heart or brain
only spirituality can help us balance our mind and brain.
After reaching this incident i can only pray to the Spiritual Master so that i can eventually achieve this balanced understanding.
Profound message.
Thank you for this narration.
Amazing. Maharaj’s Heart is very soft and caring.
Radhanath Swami is very caring for his disciples.
Radhanath Swami cares for his devotees from the core of his heart from the core of his heart and soul.
Radhanath Swami is so deep in his every word and his every action
Radhanath Swami is so deep in his every word and his every action
It shows how much mahraj loves his disciples and effectionate towards them.
a heart wrenching article
super article please keep posting these articles.
Wonderful one. Thanks for sharing it.
Touching. Grateful for sharing this.
Thank you for sharing ! Hare Krsna !
An inspiring post.
thank you very much.
This is the process of realizing the truth. All glories to HH Radhanatha Swami Maharaja.
THANK U VERY MUCH
Thanks for sharing this nice article
What a fantastic explanation
Thank you very much for sharing these. Radhanath Swami cares for devotees just as loving father would.
Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for sharing this realization.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful incident that depicts love and care of Radhanath Swami.
Balance makes life beautiful
Thank you very much for sharing this.
Nice article.
HH Radhanath Swami clearly knows the importance of each and every devotee. Thank you for sharing and making me realise the value of each and every devotee.
Bhakti can only melt the heart for humanity.
Nice one. Thanks for sharing it.
thank you for sharing these exchanges. Gives us so much solace in the face of such tragedies.
HH Radhanath Swami is very clear in his thoughts. He can not see any of the devotees in trouble for what ever reason.
this is called spirituality with realizations and practicality.
Maharaj has such a soft and carrying heart!