This exchange with Radhanath Swami—though momentary—for me was momentous.
One afternoon after lunch, Radhanath Swami and I rambled along the edges of the lecture hall at Radhagopinath Temple. The sight of each painting that hung on the side walls stopped us in our tracks briefly, before we proceeded ahead.
Last year Radhanath Swami’s birthday celebrations came right in the middle of his writing marathon. In the Vedic tradition, the spiritual guide who helps one return to God is considered as a special representative of God, to be respected on par with God. So on the spiritual mentor’s birthday his students assemble together in his presence and express their heartfelt appreciation, love and gratitude to him through eloquently written offerings. Radhanath Swami often warns in his talks about the great danger that ego poses on the spiritual path.
Once on Radhanath Swami’s birthday, a few resident monks at the Mumbai centre entered Radhanath Swami’s room with a neatly wrapped gift. He graciously accepted the offering while the leader of our group expressed appreciation of his wonderful qualities, including genuine humility that he possesses. Then Radhanath Swami enlightened us
(Continuing from the post of October 10…)
Radhanath Swami had a deadline for completing the editing of the book, but the deadline had come right in the middle of one of the biggest festivals of the year. He had to give discourses that thousands had come from all over India to hear, and he also had to attend to guests who had come from different parts of the world. An ever-courteous host, Radhanath Swami was hard-pressed for time
Three weeks after I had joined the monastery in Mumbai, our group leader arranged a meeting of the newly joined monks with Radhanath Swami. We were over a dozen new members and were enthusiastic to serve. We had often heard Radhanath Swami emphasize that humility is most pleasing to God, and we should always render humble menial service. As the meeting progressed, Radhanath Swami enquired from us the nature of our services
