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Embracing hope during crisis
February 22, 2011  |  radhanath-swami

At Istanbul, Richard (now Radhanath Swami), Jeff and Ramsey had a close shave, making a dramatic escape from the clutches of the underworld gangsters. Radhanath Swami writes that during the fight against the attackers, he went through sickening thoughts and wondered why he had left the comforts of his home in Highland Park to be here facing a horrible death. He prayed and surrendered to God’s will. Later Richard realized that it was their hope in divine that helped them survive the ordeal. Radhanath Swami explains in ‘Journey Home’ that in the most terrible predicaments when our hearts embrace hope, we attract a power beyond ourselves to guide us, purify us and ultimately liberate us.

To progress in spiritual life we have to be hopeful and optimistic of attracting God’s mercy. This attitude helps a practitioner grab opportunities for advancement. He is enthusiastic and ever alert in his spiritual endeavours. Hopelessness on the other hand breeds despair and despondency about the future. Hopeless individuals believe that their problems will never be solved and they will never succeed at what they attempt to do.  After all, success is attained through seizing the opportunities and a hopeless person can’t see the opportunities.  He or she only sees future disappointments.  To the mind of a hopeless person, what appears as opportunities and future promises are nothing but future failures and disappointments in disguise.

Radhanath Swami compares hope with a cheerleader in our game of life. It is hope that always urges us on to do more and then to try a little more.  It gives us strength to struggle when we can’t solve the daunting problems in our normal stride.  Hope is optimism.  Hope makes sure that we don’t fail to notice the silver lining piercing through the clouds.  Hope makes us spot the rainbows afar off when the rains of misery pour on relentlessly.

Radhanath Swami speaks on the basis of scriptures that in this material world we are always suffering under threefold miseries—the miseries arising from the body and the mind, from other living entities, and from natural catastrophes. One who has sufficiently developed consciousness, who is intelligent, inquires why he is suffering. “I do not want miseries. Why am I suffering?” When this question arises, there is chance for God consciousness to grow in the hearts. Then as we progress in our understanding of God and surrender ourselves to Him, we surcharge our lives with spiritual hope. Radhanath Swami gives the example of a lost and rebellious child who decides to return to his father. The prospect of reuniting with this all good and loving father fills the child with hope and happiness. Similarly when we connect with God and seek to reunite our consciousness with Him, we experience spiritual hope and happiness. And Radhanath Swami assures that God for sure won’t let us down.

When one of Radhanath Swami’s young students, Stoka Krishna was dying of cancer, he was next to him and repeatedly spoke about God’s kindness upon all of us. Radhanath Swami lovingly encouraged the young man to remember God and seek hope in God rather than material facilities. Sitting at his bedside, Radhanath Swami described in detail the spiritual world to young Stoka Krishna. Stoka Krishna was smiling and grateful to the Lord and devotees as he left his body. His departure is not only a glorious example of facing death but the incident filled the lives of all of Radhanath Swami’s followers with hope in the mercy of divine.

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59 Comments

  1. N. Swaminathan
    February 22, 2011 at 2:03 am

    Hope is like a cheerleader and pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy and this article based on Radhanath Swami’s teachings and autobiography explains how. A very invigorating article. Thanks.

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  3. M M Churi
    February 22, 2011 at 4:41 am

    Yes mercy of divine.Radhanath Swami not only gives us hopes but also an assurance of divine mercy if we turn towards That Divine mercy under bonafied guidence.Thank you very much.

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  4. Kuldeep Soni
    February 22, 2011 at 6:37 am

    Hope & pray are the two aspects which helps a lot to progress in spiritual life. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. vinay rachh
    February 22, 2011 at 10:21 am

    Hope is a very powerful tool in our hands

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  6. Ravi Garg
    February 22, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    Very nice article giving us HOPE in building hope & faith in God

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  7. Ramya
    February 22, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    Radhanath Swami Maharaj gives hope to all….

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  8. Amol
    February 23, 2011 at 12:07 am

    Thank you so much Radhanath Swamiji

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  9. Deepak
    February 23, 2011 at 1:45 am

    Hariiii bol, what a wonderful article by Radhanath Swami Mahraj. Being hopeful towards uniting our consciousness with the supreme lord.

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  10. abhay
    February 23, 2011 at 2:07 am

    I have experience of how hope can keep one alive inspite of all odds.Thank you swami for giving me that hope.

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  11. vinay rachh
    February 23, 2011 at 5:31 am

    Very nice incident of the book!!

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  12. Abhijit Toley
    February 23, 2011 at 5:40 am

    I’ll never forget the Istanbul experience. I lived it while reading about it.

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  13. Chetan Warade
    February 23, 2011 at 6:17 am

    Strong hope with powerful prayers we can achieve love of Lord.

    Radhanath Swami is ideal example for all of us.

    Thank you Maharaj.

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  14. Santipur Nath Das
    February 23, 2011 at 7:15 am

    Thank you for wonderful article.

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  15. bipin
    February 23, 2011 at 8:04 am

    All Glories To H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj

    How true is this.Being ever hopeful on the path of spirituality is one line answer to how we can be successful on it.And this spark of hopefulness will make us more and more serious.

    Hare Krishna

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  16. dhaval vasani
    February 23, 2011 at 10:40 am

    Very nice article giving us HOPE in building hope & faith in God

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  17. Madana Kishore Das
    February 23, 2011 at 7:57 pm

    Nice article.

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  18. Ravi
    February 24, 2011 at 1:08 am

    Thanks for this beautfiul article……Hope & faith in God is essential in this material hopeless world

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  19. T.Sita Ramaiah
    February 24, 2011 at 2:00 am

    “When our hearts embrace hope, we attract a power beyond ourselves to guide us, purify us and ultimately liberate us.” These words are so hope giving. Thank you Maharaj.

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  20. Ramya
    February 24, 2011 at 2:34 am

    Radhanath Swami Maharaj ki jai!

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  21. CS Sandeep Shinde
    February 24, 2011 at 3:34 am

    Very nicw. Thank you very much for sharing the same.

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  22. Chetan Warade
    February 24, 2011 at 5:20 am

    Thank you for wonderful article.

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  23. Kuldeep Soni
    February 24, 2011 at 7:40 am

    Thanks for sharing.

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  24. shyama radhika devi dasi
    February 24, 2011 at 7:54 am

    thank u for sharing stoka krishna prabhus glorious departure

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  25. Abhijit Toley
    February 24, 2011 at 8:13 am

    Radhanath Swami’s choice of words is breath-taking!

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  26. Abhijit Toley
    February 25, 2011 at 8:08 am

    Crisis brings out the best out of a genuine spiritualist.

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  27. Ydas
    February 25, 2011 at 9:12 am

    Nicely put by Radhanath Swami — success is attained through seizing the opportunities

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  28. Nandkishor Wani
    February 25, 2011 at 11:08 am

    The prospect of reuniting with this all good and loving father fills the child with hope and happiness. Similarly when we connect with God and seek to reunite our consciousness with Him, we experience spiritual hope and happiness. And Radhanath Swami assures that God for sure won’t let us down.
    thank you Radhanth Swami for showing,giving and assuring a hope for pracicing god concious life.

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  29. Shoba Ramachandran
    February 25, 2011 at 3:00 pm

    Beautiful article! very inspiring!
    Whenever I hear about Stoka Krsna Prabhu and HH Radhanath Swami’s kindness and loving care towards his disciple, my heart melts and eyes fill with tears. We have such an exalted Guru to teach us how to put our hope in God and encouraging us in every step of our lives to turn towards God and find shelter in Him through his teachings. Why fear as long as we are under the shelter of HH Radhanath Swami?

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  30. Ram Mahtani
    February 25, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    Our only hope is the mercy of devotees and spiritual master at the time of death. H.G Stoka Krsna pr was most fortunate to receive His spiritual masters direct mercy on His final journey.

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  31. Siddeshwar Bhat
    February 26, 2011 at 4:09 am

    I marvel at the author’s caliber…. wonderful lessons…

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  32. Vidya Patham
    February 27, 2011 at 7:58 am

    Thank you Radhanath Swami for explaining the nature of hope.

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  33. madhura
    February 27, 2011 at 5:26 pm

    Thank you very much for such a nice article.

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  34. Sumit
    February 28, 2011 at 10:47 am

    Radhanath Swami’s kindness and help to Stoka Krishna prabhu can never be forgotten for the time to come. His mercy and blessings to him was just like the nectar for someone who is struggling from the effect of the deadly venum.

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  35. Sundar
    February 28, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Thank you for sharing powerful realizations on the power of hope in the divine mercy of God.

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  36. Sunny
    March 1, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    Life tests everyone in various ways; on spiritual path if we have to succeed, we have to take this deep lesson being shared by Radhanath Swami…I pray that this message is ever manifest in my heart…

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  37. Shyam Bihari Das
    March 1, 2011 at 9:19 pm

    The most telling sentence in this article is “When we connect with God and seek to reunite our consciousness with Him, we experience spiritual hope and happiness. And Radhanath Swami assures that God for sure won’t let us down.” Thank you Maharaj.

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  38. Yogita Jagannathan
    March 2, 2011 at 5:31 pm

    Than you Radhanath Swami Maharaj for this wonderful article and building our hopes in the Divine, with examples such as Stoka Krishna Prabhu.

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  40. abhay
    March 5, 2011 at 1:05 am

    Philosophy is there in most wonerful scripture “Bhagawad gita”, but the practical demonstration of that is the personal example of swamiji which makes it more relishable and also conducive to apply in our lives . Where Lord Krishna says , in this material world there are always constant waves of happiness and distress . One gets hope only by diving into the timeless wisdom of Bhagwad gita and inspirations from great souls like swamiji.

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  41. Ganesh Gawali
    March 5, 2011 at 6:15 am

    Simply wonderful & soothing.Thank you so much Maharaj.

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  42. Manasa
    March 6, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Thank you very much for sharing the words of Radhanath Swami “To progress in spiritual life we have to be hopeful and optimistic of attracting God’s mercy. This attitude helps a practitioner grab opportunities for advancement.”

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  43. Ramesh
    March 9, 2011 at 6:21 am

    Radhanath Swami very nicely describes how hope in the divine fills us with powers beyond our wildest imagination.

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  44. priya aiyar
    March 13, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Maharaj says when our hearts embrace hope, we attract a power beyond ourselves to guide us, purify us and ultimately liberate us.Wonderfully realised by Maharaj in his spiritual quest.

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  45. Jagdish Majethiya
    March 31, 2011 at 6:15 am

    All glories to HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj for blessing everyone with the Hope in the mercy of divine. Thanks for sharing this wonderful article.

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  46. rishikumardas
    April 11, 2011 at 6:32 am

    maharaj is very sweet

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  47. Utkarsh
    April 14, 2011 at 12:59 am

    Superb Article. Very Inspiring & Hope Giving. Many Profound statements – “In the most terrible predicaments when our hearts embrace hope, we attract a power beyond ourselves to guide us, purify us and ultimately liberate us.”

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  48. Kedar
    April 19, 2011 at 5:16 am

    Very nice article giving us HOPE in building hope & faith in God. This attitude helps a practitioner grab opportunities for advancement.

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  49. Vinay K
    August 4, 2011 at 4:28 am

    Explained with real incidents, to some extent it penetrated into my brain…
    Thanks a lot Maharaj

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  50. Vinay K
    August 4, 2011 at 4:29 am

    Explanation with Real incidents helps a lot for me..
    Thanks a lot Maharaj

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