Meditations on The Journey Home – Lesson from Chapter 2
Inspirations from ‘The Journey Home ‐ Autobiography of an American Swami’
Richard now headed to Rishikesh, and at ‘The Divine Life Mission’ founded by Swami Sivananda, he met his successor, Swami Cidananda Saraswati. Swami Cidananda was from an incredibly wealthy family from South India, and around the age of twenty, heard a calling to serve God. He worked hard, serving lepers, building huts for them. He spoke to Richard on the urgent need to attain God realization, without which this rare human life is a waste. He also emphasised on the need to abandon selfishness, and work hard to remove the weeds of negativities from the heart. He stressed on achieving God realization through mantra japa, recitation of God’s holy names. One evening he described Richard’s travels in great detail, voicing Richard’s intimate thoughts. Richard was particularly awestruck to meet someone with such power, and yet remain so simple and kind.
It’s easy to be simple when we have nothing. When success and fame comes our way, the weeds of pride also creep in, and then to remain firmly footed on simplicity and strong moral and ethical character is a challenge. Swami Cidananda’s simplicity touched Richard’s heart, and he found the Swami to be extremely friendly, respectful and humble.
My first meeting with Radhanath Swami gave me the same feelings. Although thousands flock to hear him, and shower him with lot of respect, when I went to his room, I was pleasantly surprised to see him seated on the floor with a simple mat. The walls had simple mud plasters, and he didn’t even have an attached toilet. Twelve years later I see he continues to stay in the same simple set up. Many times his students insisted that they shift him to a better house, or get an air conditioner for his room. Radhanath Swami refused any of these facilities. His room is at the centre of the monks’ ashram, and the constant noise from the resident quarters of the hundred plus members’ of the ashram can be unsettling. Yet Radhanath Swami not only has no complaints, he is happy in this setup.
Radhanath Swami warns that unless we work hard and serve others, cultivating simplicity of thought and lifestyle, we can’t become dear to God. He emphasises humble menial service to be more pleasing to God than our lofty discourses, filled with pride. “Performing some menial service to men of God is of great spiritual value, much greater than just holding high ranking positions in society”, says Radhanath Swami. His definition of ‘simple’ is simple, yet profound: “Simple means what is inside is outside. We should not try to pretend to be something we are not. We should not act in such a way that people think we are very advanced.”
I find him similar to his description of Swami Cidananda in other ways too. He too had the comforts of a loving American family but left home at the age of nineteen, and heard a calling of God. For six years he lived as a monk in an austere monastery, on a secluded mountaintop that one had to plod a three mile muddy footpath through a forest to reach. The snow-blanketed winters were frigid there and he had no heat. To bathe, he used a rock to break a layer of ice, and then dipped in the icy water. His sanitation system was to climb down a hill with shovel in hand and bury his waste in the mud. He works tirelessly hard even today, at the age of sixty. Like Swami Cidananda, he too stresses on mantra japa, and daily chants a minimum of twenty-five thousand names of the Lord on his prayer beads.
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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........
By reading this book, one will come to know that how we can be become Simple and remain simple in each and every situation in their lives. It’s really difficult to follow it but not impossible.
View CommentFor somebody like Radhanath Swami whose consciousness is deeply connected with Spirituality, they see the Lords hand in all aspects of life and hence remain a humble but very powerful instrument in hands of God.
However the deep connectivity does not come free. Radhanath Swami’s life in every step is a miracle – how he sincerely struggled to find the way to God and how he practised at every moment – what he had learnt, never failing to any temptations
Now he is not putting an Intellectual Property rights on it and charging royalty to teach others, but selfless shares the opportunity with everyone…
View CommentRadhanath Swami has an heart is so pure. Radhanath Swami is the one who is most successful in this world in achieving the real truth and yet he is so humble.
View Commentit’s easy to be simply sucessful but difficult to be sucessfully simple as portrayed by our beloved Gurudev.
View CommentRadhanath Swami Maharaj is the ambassador.
View CommentRadhanath Swami Maharaj is the ambassador of simplicity.
View CommentI pray to the Lord that I become simple as Radhanath swami wants us to be.
View Commentperfect definition of simplicity..
View CommentRadhanath Swami and Swami Chidanand both have shown that deep determination to seek God can overcome even affluent up-bringings—-a very difficult feat indeed.
View CommentSwami ji my heart meleted when I read the story on simplicity
View Commentfound your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later
View CommentIn our current worldly lifestyles simple life is most difficult to follow. But both Radhanath Swami and Swami Cidanand have inspired me to practise through their own example making simple life simple to live.
View CommentWhat I am missing in my I got after I read Radhanath Swamis Autobiography, that is simplicity.
View CommentRadhanath swami has a very simple life and loves to serve.
View CommentSo he is very dear to god and to all of us.
H.H. R
View CommentH.H.Radhanath Swami is a spiritual leader whose walk is his talk and whose talk is his walk
View CommentI have read the book & the journey of H.H.Radhanath Swami Maharaj is inspiring all of us. It is said in Sanskrit -“Prayatnanti Parameshwar”. All the hardships faced by him finally resulted in reaching to The God’s Own Country.
View CommentHH Radhanatha Swami Maharaj ki Jai
View CommentRadhanath swami is a humility personified
View Commentsimple techniques to be simple is doings things in a truly natural way, that is radhanath swami,
View Commentthe embassdor of simplicity
View CommentRadhanath Swami is abode of such qualities.
View CommentRadhanath Swami is an exemplary for others. His each act is to please Krishna. His simple living is the symbol of surrender to Krishna. It is really a good inspiration.
View CommentHare Krishna, I pray to cultivate simplicity and serve everyone with a true heart
View CommentAll great souls like HH Radhanath swami natuarally are simple in all their delaings. Especially, HH Radhanath Swami shows us the way to lead a simple life by His own example.
View CommentBeautiful definition of Simple!
View CommentRadhanath Swami is very simple……he completely exemplifies Srila Prabhupad’s statement “Simple living & High thinking”
View Commentit was very interesting to read https://www.radhanath-swami.net
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the book ‘the journey home’ is really a heart transforming book
View CommentRadhanath swami epitomises the saying ‘Simple Living and High Thinking’. Thus it is narural that he has become very dear to everyone
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View CommentRegards
He always gives teachings through his personal humble behavior.
View CommentSimple means what is inside is outside. We should not try to pretend to be something we are not.
We should not act in such a way that people think we are very advanced.
This is a very powerful statement and can come from the heart of a pure person only and Radhanth Swami is a live example of this.
View CommentRadhanathswami Maharaj by his simplicity &humility always exibit real love for God &others.
View CommentA simple heart is a pure place to the Lord to manifest.And a simple herted person only can understand others simplicity.In Journeny Home Radhanathswami emits the quality of simplicity by glorifying Ghanashambaba.
View CommentVery nice article.
View CommentAll Glories To H.H.Radhanath Swami Maharaj
What better example of Maharaj for exemplifying and then living in simplicity.
Its a virtue that we may find difficult to practice, as we are endeavouring for more and more comfort in our life, but if determined we can also if not emulate, at least take to the practice of simplicity.
Hare Krishna
View Comment“Simple means what is inside is outside”
View CommentAll glories to HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj.
Really Radhanath Swami Maharaj is so simple in his life, thank you very much for detailing out all these incidents from the life of Maharaj. I also liked the following lines:
“Performing some menial service to men of God is of great spiritual value, much greater than just holding high ranking positions in society.”
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s own simplicity has made him appreciate Swami Chidanand’s simplicity.
View CommentI love your articles or blog posts on your blog but the Rss has a few XML errors that you really need to fix. Awesome blog nevertheless!
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s simplicity & humility are very endearing to everyone. It inspires others to change their ways for the better.
View Commenthey, nice blog…really like it and added to bookmarks. keep up with good work
View CommentYeah, I noticed that too, great article
View CommentIt remains one of life’s greatest mysteries why and how that works
View Commentthe collection abt HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj is a great treasure for them who seek a path 2wrds self realization…thank u all very mch 4 making avail this precious jells 2 us…
View Commentvery nice article, thanks for posting this, bhakti
View Commentvery rightly said by HHRM and Swami Civananda that God’s realization is the need of the hour, and how one should involve himself in the benefit of others by doing service, haribol, rajesh karia
View CommentTo be simple means to be same inside and outside. Great insight. It doesn’t necessarily mean having no means.
View CommentI feel you are too good to write Genius!Thanks for posting, maybe we can see more on this.
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