It is important in order for that association to be following in the footprints of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and his associates, each and every one of us has to take the responsibility to be that type of association. We both receive it and we also share it. It's not difficult. Help each other to remember Krishna, help each other to chant the names of Krishna and that's what these temples are for. We see on so many festivals, people are coming together to cook for Krishna. They're inspired by each other to be in their homes to cook for Krishna, to decorate the temple for Krishna, to come and hear the glories of Krishna. Association is so crucial to our sadhana. In the heart of our sadhana is hearing and chanting, hearing the glories of Lord, developing a taste for hearing the glory of the Lord. And that taste comes through our humility and our eagerness to serve vaishnavas, our eagerness to help people who spiritually are in need in this world. When we make our life focused in these ways, whatever our occupation or field and Krishna will be pleased. But then it's important that we give the time and the effort to hear the glories of the Lord, to speak the glories of the Lord and to chant, the names of the Lord in japa and kirtan.

Importance of Remembering the Gift That Srila Prabhupada Has Given Us

Gopi Kirtan - Sydney - 30Jan2015

KKS Bhajans - Vibhavari Sesa - 2015 - 06 - 15 UK

HG Nila Madhava Prabhu - Kirtan50

Complete Lectures on Srimad Bhagavad Gita, given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bg 01

Bg 01-01   London 1973-07-07   The Material World Means Politics, Jealousy, Diplomacy, Envy

Dhenukasura could not tolerate that they were enjoying what was meant for him. So, he came charging, screaming like an ass. He was big! He was big like mountain. And he approached Balaram and with the strength of an ass in his behind legs, he turned around and with all of his might he started kicking Balaram in the chest. And Balaram just stood there, calmly just tolerating these massive blows. And then Balaram  just was thinking, “What is this? This demon must come to an end because he is trying to enjoy the fruits of His abode. Talavan was His abode.” He considered this is mine and whatever fruits are here are mine to enjoy. This sounds familiar? This is my house and whatever is in this house is mine to enjoy. This is what we called Dhenukasura consciousness. In another words, if anyone who thinks like this, is an ass, no offense or anything. Not that any of you think like this. But it is true. What does an ass think? An ass works hard all day, foaming at the mouth, big burden on him, for what? For little sense enjoyment and he thinks that what I work for, the fruits of my action are mine to enjoy. This is animal consciousness. 
But Balaram who is represented by the spiritual master comes and kills that ass like quality in our hearts and don’t think it’s always so nice, at least to our minds. The spiritual master learns to teach us that all the fruits of our actions, all the fruits of this world are meant for Krishna’s satisfaction. And through his words and through his instructions, in so many ways, he is trying to kill this Dhenukasura ass who is living within the hearts of all of us. That what is the Dhenukasura ass? The tendency to want to be the controller, to think that this is mine to enjoy. So, Balaramji took Dhenukasura by the behind legs and started whirling him around, threw him in the trees and he was dead.  And in the same way the spiritual master, sometimes he just throws us around and we get all dizzy trying to follow his instruction but ultimately what is the purpose? To kill the ass in our heart? And in that pure heart, like the cowherd boys we simply offer all the fruits to Krishna. We enjoy with Krishna. Everything is Krishna’s.

Only Lord Balaram or The Spiritual Master Can Destroy The Demon Of Dhenukasura Within Our Heart

Developing Spiritual Emotions | 1 Mar 2020

'In Memory of Krsnanandini' by HH Radhanath Swami on 29th Nov 2020

Therefore, one must have a very strict sadhana. One should moderate once life by having a very specific time every day to chant for two hours, to hear the Srimad Bhagvatam, ‘naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā’ it is essential to hear the Bhagvatam every day. It is essential to chant according to the vow we have made to our spiritual master every day, it is essential to invite sadhus to our home to serve them and humble ourselves before them. These are the principals of Grihastha ashram given in the scriptures and exemplified by all the great devotees of the Lord throughout history in that ashram. It is the duty of a Grihastha to regularly associate with devotees, it is the duty of a Grihastha to install the deity in his house and worship that deity and offer all food to that deity and make one’s house the holy place. So, we have these minimal devotional principals - to chant two hours every day, to hear the Bhagvatam every day, to offer all one’s food and worship the deity of the Lord within the house and to serve the sadhus and associate with devotees; these are four minimal principals that must be adhere to. And if you neglect those, then your mentality will become like a karmi. You may wear tilak on the outside but inside you will not have the proper spiritual principles to live by.

Whether Grihastas Should Spend More Time On Profession Or On Spiritual Activities?

Vrindavan is wherever you are serving your spiritual master and if you are sitting right in Vrindavan but you are not pleasing your Guru Maharaj, you will not see Vrindavan in truth. Narottam Das Thakur prayed ‘vishaya chariya kabe suddha ha ’be mana kabe hama herabo sri-brindabana.’ He's praying to Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, “when will I give up all my desires for material enjoyment? When will I put aside all separate interests other than, because factually anything that is against what pleases Guru and Krishna is sense gratification? He said only then will I really see Vrindavan. Who could be living in Vrindavan but never see Vrindavan as it is, because Vrindavan can only be seen by the eyes ‘premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena’ that are blessed with the self of love which comes only by the mercy of Krishna and the mercy of Krishna comes in relationship to how we are pleasing His devotee and submitting ourselves humbly to His lotus feet.

Vrindavan Is Wherever We Serve Our Spiritual Master

Gaura Mani - Gopi Geet Bhajan 23.11.20

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.


'In Memory of Krsnanandini' by HH Radhanath Swami on 29th Nov 2020

Radhanath Swami

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