One day Richard stumbled upon a leper colony. Dozens of them surrounded Richard, pressing their deformed bodies against his, and demanded charity. Their rotting flesh was oozing blood and the stench was unbearable. Richard was angry and disgusted, but simultaneously felt compassion for them, understanding that their misery justified the behavior. After twenty minutes he was spared, and then he saw an old leper woman, in whom Richard could perceive a deep longing to give motherly love. He placed his head under her palm and received her blessings. Her face lit with joy on seeing Richard and he lost all fear of contamination by seeing her affection. Richard felt the previous suffering at the hands of so many lepers was a small price to pay for this unforgettable blessing. Richard pondered that although the woman was plagued with a despicable disease, beneath the surface she was a beautiful soul who only wanted to love and be loved. Later gazing down the rushing current of Ganges, Richard reflected,
“Today the river is exposing how we have the tendency to judge others by their surface appearance, and to find only their negative qualities. But if we search beneath the surface we discover that a myriad of strains mix together to create a particular person’s nature. The faults we perceive are likely to be the effect of circumstances, the psychological response to trauma, abuse, rejection, heartbreak, insecurity, pain, confusion, or disease. I thought of the people who had nearly killed me in Istanbul, the racists that hated the Blacks during the civil rights movement, the people who had mistreated me because of my long hair, and even myself, how I had judged the generation I’d rebelled against, thinking older Americans wrong to be so concerned with money and security when, in fact, they had lived through the Great Depression, a hardship I couldn’t fathom. If we understand the underlying cause of what we think of as bad in someone, instead of being hateful, we will be compassionate. For is not every soul inherently good? A saintly person will hate the disease but love the diseased.”
To see those who are evil and externally wicked as victims of their circumstances requires spiritual vision. Richard got this realization on seeing this old woman, and he could then see even his potential killers at Istanbul as victims, rather than being inherently bad. On the contrary he now began to see them as potentially good souls, servants of God.
Radhanath Swami loves to narrate the story of Lord Nityananda, the incarnation of God who appeared five hundred years ago. He was compassion personified, and in his desire to serve and love all, he approached two of the greatest ruffians of the time, Jagai and Madhai. Both were brothers and together performed the most abominable activities; they burnt houses, indiscriminately killed men, and raped women. Everyone in the State feared these evil brothers, as they were the law unto themselves. Nityananda felt compassion, and despite the warnings of everyone, approached the brothers and pleaded with them to to give up their despicable activities and chant the Holy names of God. In their drunken condition, they attacked Nityananda, but the Lord’s persistent appeals, touched their hearts, and they reformed. They went on to become the most saintly devotees in Bengal, India, of that time.
Our daily interactions may not be with such hardened criminals; rather it could be with loving and saintly people, sincerely endeavoring in their spiritual practices. However the tendency to find faults is so deep rooted, that we often can’t appreciate those we are living with, despite them being decorated with many saintly qualities. Our narrow view of life and standards of behavior blinds us to others’ good qualities. Radhanath Swami tirelessly trains his students to see people for their primary quality-each one is a servant and lover of God. All other qualities, behavior and lack of virtues are secondary, and they shall develop over a period of time. He appeals to all to abandon seeing others from our individual frames of reference, but rather see each person as how God would see them- with love and compassion.
Table of Contents
Founder-acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........
Radhanath Swami’s book launch “The Journey Home” is full of such marvelous episodes which reveal the heart of an advanced spiritualist.
View Commentwonderful!!
View CommentRadhanath Swami maharaj ki Jai.
View CommentSublime truths revealed so easy by Swamiji
View CommentRadhanath Maharaj is teaching me how not to be judgemental about people… a very important lesson to learn. Thank you.
View CommentVery inspiring. How easily we find faults in others but never see faults in ourselves.
View CommentRadhanath Swami is very clear in his presentation. What we see in others is first in us too. Radhanath Swami is a very realized soul, who always good in others and never sees any faults in others
View CommentMoreover, Radhanath Swami will try to elevate or improve that person in a very humble, sometimes jocular way, without interfering with the false ego that person.
View CommentGreat article – Radhanath Swami Maharaj sees each person as how God would see them – with love and compassion
View Commentonlt the faultless souls like Radhanath Swami can avoid seeing fault in others
View Commentnot to see faults in other is a great quality indeed.
View CommentHDG Srila Prabhupada,Guru of HH Radhanath Swami, inspired ‘hippies’ to take to Krishna Consciousness.Any ordinary person would have only seen their faults. Prabhupada never gave up hopes and counted on Lord’s mercy. The same message is driven home by HH Radhanath Swami who shares his profoud realization from the earlier days of his spiritual life.He is a pure soul to have seen through the exteriors of people and not to judge them by externals.
View CommentThe following sentence shows how deeply Radhanath Swami thinks – Richard was angry and disgusted with the lepers who pressed their ozing bodies against his demanding charity, but simultaneously felt compassion for them, understanding that their misery justified their behavior
View CommentRadhanath Maharaj gives a very deep understanding of how to be really compassionate with all people whether good or bad. The teachings make you realize that finding fault overlooking the good qualities is not a pleasing attitude to God. Thank you Maharaj.
View CommentI typically don’t comment on web sites but you have some good readable material.
View CommentGreat realisation…..Radhanath Swami, thanks for sharing your valuable realisations with us…….
View Comment“A saintly person will hate the disease but love the diseased”
A very important quality of a saint as described by Radhanath Swami Maharaj, I need to improve a lot on this.
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View CommentRadhanath Swami is making so much effort to make his followers see good in others. This is a very difficult task. However because of Radhanath Swami’s personal example it is possible for so many people to work hard and become better devotes of Krishna.
View CommentRadhanath Swami is making so much effort to make his followers see good in others. This is a very difficult task. However because of Radhanath Swami’s personal example it is possible for so many people to work hard and become better devotees of Krishna.
View CommentRadhanath Swami correctly points out that fault-finding is one of the undesirable habits that we should abandon if we want to make progress in our spiritual lives.
View CommentRadhanath Swami simply appreciates whatever service a person does for God. It is not at all in his nature to find fault in others.
View CommentMaharaj has really very deep realizations.
View CommentWhat a compassion heart Radhanath Swami has got. Because of his compassion only we are doing whatever we are doing today. Maybe one day I would be able to serve him with my full heart.
View CommentRadhanath Swami so wonderfully teaches how to see each one as a inherently good and some gray shades in them as the effect of circumstances they might have gone through in life.Great lesson!
View CommentAll Glories To.H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj
What an wonderful realisation, which only a person of Maharaja’s stature can have.
Amazing.
Hare Krishna
View CommentThank you very much nice writeup on Radhanath Swami Journey Home.
View CommentRadhanath Swami`s realizations & Meditations are truly so deep & enlightening…Thank You
View CommentFaults are there in everyone, even in me. By ignoring them we progress on our spiritual path, else, we acquire them.
View CommentVery thoughtful artical & bring us out of illusion.
View CommentIt is amazing to see how Radhanath Swami really inspires his followers to practice higher principles in their life by his personal example.
View CommentThank you to Radhanath Swami for this great teaching
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