And that is one of the greatest detriments in any spiritual society that Maya or illusion captures us with this attraction, allurement, for facilities. We want to utilize the facilities we are having and we become attached to them. Facilities are meant for God’s service. But the tendency is we become attached. How do you know if you are attached or not? Anyone can say “I am detached its all of Krishna.” Any one can say that even I can say that. But the test is when you are asked to give it up, when you are asked to give up that facility by Krishna or his representatives. If we are really using it for Krishna, I will do without it. No problem. But if we say, “No I can’t, impossible, no way.” What does that mean? Means yes! It’s partially for Krishna, but you are attached for your own selfish purposes. Are we sincere? When something is taken away, then that’s the test. Are we actually sincere? Are we only trying to selfishly enjoy something in the name of Krishna? 
And not only things, but the most powerful than that is pratishtha, recognition, prestige, title and position. People are very attached to positions. People will lie, cry and die for a position. And we like to say that “I am only in this position because it’s the best thing for Krishna’s service.” But even n the name of Krishna’s service you may be in that trap of illusion. And the test is ‘give up your position.’ How will I live? How will I serve? I need this title. I need my name on the door. We should not be attached to a service. We must be attached to the spirit of the service. And on the basis of people wanting prestige, honor, respect, to the degree you have those desires, it’s inevitable, you will be envious of people who are potential competitors. Who are people who have more than you. Then where is the yoga? Where is the union? There is no real yoga until we are free of envy. It’s not just the matter of sitting cross legged and doing some breathing exercises or standing on your head. Those things are good for health and good for harmonizing body, mind and soul. But to purify the heart, to purify it so there is real unity with God and real unity with others, we have to rise above the ahnakar, the false ego. Where we want to take credit for what we do.

Don't Get Attached to Service, Attach to The Spirit of Service

Radhanath Swami is a Vaishnava sanyassi (a monk in a Krishna-bhakti lineage) and teacher of the devotional path of Bhakti-yoga. He is author of The Journey Home, a memoir of his search for spiritual truth. His teachings draw from the sacred texts of India such as The Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, and Ramayana, and aim to reveal the practical application of the sacred traditions, while focusing on the shared essence which unites apparently disparate religious or spiritual paths.
Born Richard Slavin, on December 7, 1950, in his teens he came to confront a deep sense of alienation from suburban Chicago life and the civil injustices of mid-century America. At the age of nineteen, while on a summer trip to Europe, his internal struggles culminated in a commitment to search for God wherever it might lead him. Meditating on the Isle of Crete, he felt a supernatural calling and the next morning set off alone to find spiritual India. The Journey Home documents his odyssey as a penniless hitch-hiker though Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and finally India. There he lived as a wandering ascetic, first amongst the forest dwelling Himalayan yogis and later amongst a wide variety of gurus and spiritual practitioners throughout India and Nepal. Ultimately, he was led to the holy town of Vrindavan, where he found his path amongst the Bhakti-yogis.
In Vrindavan he found the teacher he was searching for in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), and representative of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, (the Krishna-bhakti tradition stemming from the 16th century mystic avatar Sri Chaitanya). In choosing Bhaktivedanta Swami, as his guru, Radhanath Swami felt compelled to shear his matted locks and reenter Western society with a mission to share the sacred wisdom he had received. This return exemplifies the form of devotional yoga which is at the heart of Radhanath Swami’s teachings, a spiritual practice expressed as tangible action meant to bring about personal fulfillment and benefit the world.
At the the age of 31 he took the monastic vows of a Vaishnava sanyassin and became known as Radhanath Swami.
Today Radhanath Swami travels regularly throughout India, Europe and North America, sharing the teachings of Bhakti-yoga. He resides much of the year at the Radha Gopinath Ashram in Chowpatty, Mumbai. For the past twenty-five years he has guided the community’s development and has directed a number of acclaimed social action projects including Midday Meals, which daily serves more than 260,000 plates of sanctified vegetarian food to the children of the slums of Mumbai. He has also worked to establish missionary hospitals and eye camps, eco-friendly farms, schools and ashrams, an orphanage, and a number of emergency relief programs throughout India.


Servant of Lord Krishna..
An artist, son, loving husband, father of my angels
Working and living in Dubai