Meditations on The Journey Home –
Chapter 1: Journey to the East
Childhood is the most impressionable age, and exposure to incidents of hate and violence leave deep scars on a child’s consciousness. An interaction with Danny, the friend of little Richie (Radhanath Swami’s childhood name) threatened to destroy his innocence. Seven year old Richie shivered on seeing two pistols and several hand grenades stacked up at Danny’s cellar. Hideous images of hate and violence flashed through Richie’s mind when Danny displayed Hitler’s framed photograph. Richie was stunned with disbelief to know that Danny’s parents hated him because he was a Jew, and they believed Jews Killed Jesus. Danny hoped to not hate Richie when they grew up. Hurt knows no reason, and Richie, hiding his misery, asked his mother if God hated him. The contradiction of love and hate made little sense and Richie offered silent prayers to God, with faith in his mothers’ words that God did love him.
While most children may not undergo such extreme incidents, but they do get exposed to violent and passionate images on the television screen, and the budding purity, founded on childhood simplicity and innocence, is throttled right away. National Institute on Media and the Family (U.S.A) revealed that children younger than eight “cannot uniformly discriminate between real life and fantasy/entertainment. They also quickly learn that violence is an acceptable solution to resolving even complex problems, particularly if the aggressor is the hero.” University of Michigan psychologists Leonard Eron and Rowell Huesmann studied the viewing habits of a group of children from various cultures, for decades. They stated in their testimony before U.S Congress that across the world, watching television is the single factor most closely associated with aggressive behavior -more than poverty, race, or parental behavior. Repeated exposure to pornographic and vivid scenes of bloodshed and violence degrades the consciousness.
Due to living at a time when TV was not so widespread, Richie (now Radhanath Swami) was spared the television onslaught; the onslaught of hatred that he did face, he tried to deal with by spending his nights whispering a silent prayer to God in his thoughts.
Richie prayed in bed, until he fell asleep. In prayer he found a sense of shelter, and that someone was listening to him. Being inspired by his example, I have personally tried praying and must confess, despite all my shortcomings, it is indeed a powerful tool. From little Richie to Radhanath Swami, the essence hasn’t changed. He still prays, and once when a student asked if he could write letters to him, Radhanath Swami humbly replied, “Of course you can”. The student then enquired, “Do you also write letters to God and to your guru?” Radhanath Swami smiled, “I am not a writer, I am more of a prayerer. I love to pray.” As a seven year old, he revealed the power of prayer- a tool to perceive God’s presence in our lives and touch Him with our thoughts.
Radhanath Swami, with his saintly wisdom, cautions us from underutilizing the power of prayer, “Don’t expect God to answer your prayers for material well being. That wouldn’t be a relationship based on love; that’s more of a business deal. A sincere prayer to God doesn’t always guarantee a material solution to problems, but it certainly ensures that we come closer to God. And that coming closer to God fills the heart with a spiritual joy that transcends petty material pursuits.” A culture of prayer then solves a much bigger problem of this world- the problem of smiling faces but crying hearts, the problem of enacting a pretense of happiness, while being empty within. Prayer enriches our hearts with God’s presence and brings deep, lasting fulfillment, thus enabling us to have smiling hearts and smiling faces.
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........
Very enlightening.
View CommentVery nice blog, Thank you for posting your realizations along with experiences of Radhanatha Swami Maharaj.
View CommentBest regards
Glad to see such nice meditations on the book of Radhanatha Swami maharaj.
View CommentThese meditations provide deep understanding about maharaj. Thanks for such a wonderful work for spreading the glories of Radhanatha Swami.
Wonderful meditation. This reveals the depth of wisdom of the author
View CommentVery nice blog, Thank you for posting your realizations along with experiences of Radhanatha Swami Maharaj.
View CommentBest regards
Very enlightening.
View CommentWonderful meditation. This reveals the depth of wisdom of the author
View CommentIndeed a beautiful meditation. Radhanath Swami has always been putting a lot of emphasis on prayers.
View CommentVery soul touching.
View CommentVery reciprocative
I got a news that gurudev wrote a book i can not afford cost of it. I thought of a borrowing after a devotee complete this book.. but book itself want me to read it immediately. I got a seva for this book, you know how ? all of sudden i come to know about translation,
yes this book is translated in several languages, like gujarati hindi marathi etc..
and I got a typing seva for hindi typing for this wonderful book. by typing itself i read this book.
then i got a call from gujarati team also. hindi book is already released and gujarati book is ready to release.
thanks gurudev for such a wonderful reciprocation through your book
just desire for seva and it will fulfill.
View CommentSoul stirring article. Thans for sharing this nice from Radhanath swami’s realiazations. I believe our society desperately needs such dedicated articles and people like Radhanath Swami. I have gone thru entire autobiography of Radhanath swami and it was very inspiring and a classic in itself.
View CommentWhat a beautiful website! It is a feast for the eyes! I congratulate the developers of this website. Passages from H.H. Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s books are so intense and enlightening.
View CommentA beautiful article.
View CommentA Journey back to his spiritual master to deliver the fallen souls.Thank you Gurudev.
View CommentVary Inspiring. Thank You for sharing.
View CommentThat point of underutilizing our prayer to God is well taken. Also, Maharaj has many a time in his lectures mentioned that God always provides what we need and not what we want.
View CommentA very wonderful and a thought provoking realisation. Thank you for sharing it with us.
View CommentJust Brilliant
View CommentPrayers are the best way to get closest to God and reveal our confidential feelings and thoughts. But it also a gift of God to be pure enough to pray innocently such as Radhanath Swami does.
View CommentEven though there are moments when I’m deeply hurt, I struggle to surrender and pray to God in those moments. This meditation encourages me to pray to God in all good and bad moments in life to get solace.
View Commentthank u very much. radhe radhe.
View CommentThe meditations written on Radhanath Swami’s experiences from his book are very profound. Surely it takes a very matured spiritual person to do this.
View CommentVery inspiring.It is very enligtening to read about such topics with the insights from Radhanath Swami’s personal experience.
View CommentIf we see vedic Scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam in every section we will find prayers by exalted saints/demigods to the Supreme Lord and hence receive divine mercy/shelter/grace.
This is a lost science now! We have a mobile phone to talk to someone on the otherside of the planet, however forgot how to connect to the Lord sitting in our own heart!
Thanks to the like of Radhanath Swami reviving this most essntial science(displayed from his early childhood!)…
View Commentsuch a wonderful prayer by auther.The real way of meditation.
View CommentYes, prayer should not be like business deals………..nice article
View CommentRadhanath Swami is life of full of such nice realizations.
View Commentwhere nothing works,prayer works. we pray maharaj that we always remain at the shelter of ur lotus feet.thank u for ur mercy.
View Commentevery ones life is depend on prayers. W/O prayers one can not do much… that alone can help a determined person in his spiritual life, that shown to us by Radhanath Swami’s Journey Home
View CommentI never knew the power of prayers until I came in contact with Radhanath Swami through his words.
View CommentThank You very much.
When we read Radhanath Swami’s autobiography The Journey Home, we see how he is faced with so many very difficult situations, but in all these trying circumstances, he seeks shelter of the Lord & prays to Him. How can someone be so close to God & feel His presence all the time? Radhanath Swami seems to be so special!
View CommentLet not a single day of ours begin without a prayer.
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s autobiography THE JOURNEY HOME is an amazing, enchanting and unbelievable book.
View CommentSuch a profound piece on the power of prayer. Radhanath Swami by this example is encouraging us to take more shelter of God and become intimate with Him.
View CommentWow this is so inspiring!We humbly request to Radhanath Swami that to pray for us that somehow or other we too get this praying attitude so that we are constatnly in touch with GOD.We pray that we too become a “Prayerer” like Radhanath Swami and that we stop our “Pretender” attitude
View Commentthank you for sharing the article…prayer is indeed the only solace and shelter during trials and tribulations…
View Commentthis is very couraging…thank you
View CommentMaharaj was a great learner from his early childhood. Maharaj’s realsations are so true and always touching hearts So true ! At times we pray almighty to resolve our material problems …Thanks maharaj for explaining the importance of prayers and the best way to reach god.
View CommentNo wonder TV is know as an ediot box and not just that it takes away our valuable time. Thanks Swami ji for showing the alternative for TV (Prayers to GOD)
View CommentRadhanath Swamis realisations are so deep. Wonderful article -thankyou.
View Commentgaura haribol, regards, bhakti
View Commenthari hari, wonderful, regards, rajesh
View CommentRadhanath Swami so nicely teaches how to have smiling hearts and smiling faces through the medium of genuine prayers offered to Lord.
View CommentPrayers and only prayers work. So I pray to the Lord that I can pray properly and for the right things.
View CommentThanks swamiji for guiding us on what is the proper mood while praying……commonly prayers are demand notes to God to satify material desires….. but real prayer, as you said, brings one closer to god…….thanks
View CommentRadhanath Swami Maharaj personally sets an example for establishing a close relation with God- Prayers!
View CommentIn writing one may not express his heart properly but certainly through prayers. Radhanath swami has strong belief in God and hence his prayers are answered. Thank you very much for your realization in this regard.
View Commentas HH Radhanath Maharaj says that an intense prayer always works and brings one closer to the lord, haribol, bhakti
View Commentprayers always pay for bringing one closer to god, thanks for sharing, regards, rajesh karia
View CommentPrayers certainly gives a lot of solace and support to a troubled mind. However Radhanath Swami, tells us, what should we praying for. Thank you.
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