Meditations on The Journey Home – Lesson from Chapter 2
Inspirations from ‘The Journey Home ‐ Autobiography of an American Swami’
After a month of fasting, Richard bought peanuts to break his fast. The shopkeeper formed a bag out of old newspapers and filled it with peanuts. As Richard rejoiced at the prospect of a feast, a huge brown monkey sprang on Richard and grabbed the peanut bag. Some peanuts had fallen on the ground in the scuffle, and Richard thought he would have to be satisfied with these. However another monkey leaped from a tree and took away every other peanut. Richard wasn’t spared anything. On a hungry stomach, he gained yet another profound realization:
“As I proceeded to my cave for the night, my stomach rumbled. Compared to the treasure of spiritual experience, worldly acquisition is like those peanuts, I thought to myself. People lie, cry, and die for a few of these peanuts. They fight and struggle for a handful. Wars are raged over them. But at any moment, a monkey, another’s greed, or even the inevitable march of time may plunder from us our cherished peanuts.”
People spend their lives struggling to earn money, fame and glory; all of which is washed away in a moment, by the tricks of time. Some do get rich while others languish in poverty their whole lives, but both meet the same fate. I am reminded of an old Indian saying, “After the game is over, the king and the pawn lie in the same box.” As a school boy I often sat glued to my T.V set watching one of the most influential world leaders, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher deliver forceful speeches. House of Commons applauded, many sighed, marveled and envied her majestic personality. But a few years ago, I read in the papers that she was ‘a sad shadow of her former glorious self’. The Sunday Times reported that Lady Thatcher was a “lonely, forgetful and almost friendless figure on the edge of senility”. The grim realities had dawned upon me; Mr. Time treads his steps slowly but surely. Hiding around the corner, he waits for an opportune moment to pounce upon an unsuspecting victim. A former Prime Minister is no exception.
As the cruel and unforgiving waves of time threaten to wash us off the material complacency, the conditioned soul desperately clings on to all his possessions. However being disdainfully stripped off all his wealth and position he undergoes the most agonizing experience. Radhanath Swami draws home the point with a graphic example, “A child absorbed in building sand castles, oblivious to the rising tide, feels shattered when the inevitable happens. As he grows up, he entwines himself in complex emotional relationships extending to home, family, friends, and society. As each one of them proves fallible in due course of time, he’s unable to reconcile to this battering by the invincible time energy. He succumbs to loneliness, hopelessness and senility; and façade of confidence and courage that for long masked his fearful position is washed away.” Bob Dylan, American singer, poet, and author once said, “All this talk about equality… the only thing people really have in common is that they are all going to die…”
Radhanath Swami explains that an orphaned soul, rejecting the Supreme Lord is in the most insecure position. Originally, a resident of the spiritual world, he is presently embarrassed by the unnatural material setting. As the huge time wave gushes in, threatening to separate him from loved ones, his desire to be eternal remains unfulfilled here. Radhanath Swami offers transcendence as an alternative, “Only when we are connected to transcendence can we revive our dormant blissful nature, and overcome the fearful dualities of material existence.”
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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........
We are grateful to HH Radhanath Swami for His profound realisation. This article gives very clear picture of the nature of this world and also the nature of great souls like HH Radhanath Swami in their delaings with it.
View CommentIt is very true.Whatever possessions we have ,any time it will go away or taken away by the influence of time.Radhanath Swami is so nicely telling diffeent lessons which we learn from his personal life.It is so inspiring.Thanks for the same.
View Commentmaterial acquisitions never help us…at best only provide pseudo satisfaction…
View CommentHow Radhanth Swami goes deeper from each and every experience in his life…rather than complaining he sees it as an opportunity to come closer to God…!!
View CommentThis is a wonderful lesson learnt…. We should all long and work for the real wealth of love of god which can never be seperated from us.
View CommentReally this quote of HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj “Only when we are connected to transcendence can we revive our dormant blissful nature, and overcome the fearful dualities of material existence.” is wonderful and should be taken seriously.
View CommentRadhanath Swami speaking the truth…any time our cherished peanuts will be taken away…Thank you Radhanath Swami for these enlightening words.
View CommentRadhanath swami learned so many good lessons from his every little experiences…
View CommentEYE OPENER . EXCELLENT NARRATION.
View CommentWe like or not but Radhanath Swami like an expert Doctor give the always right medicine for our diseases.
View CommentThank you for sharing this profound realisation
View Commentit is very nice to know the reality of the world by Radhanath Swami which is seen but never realised.
View CommentRadhanath Swami through his practical experience of life has clearly explained the true fact of life which we ignore. This article is really an eye opener.
View CommentI loved these lines “People lie, cry, and die for a few of these peanuts. They fight and struggle for a handful. Wars are raged over them. But at any moment, a monkey, another’s greed, or even the inevitable march of time may plunder from us our cherished peanuts.” from the above passage of Radhanath Swami:)
View CommentMaharaj is so compassionate and humble towards monkeys,if it was any other person ..he would have surely hit the monkey with a stick..Maharaj always have some realisation to share from his experience. Thanks Maharaj for opening up your golden treasure in the form of your autobiography.
View CommentIt is amazing to see Maharaj thinking and meditating on higher things in such difficult times…..
View CommentAs Radhanath Swami explains, if every one realizes that all of our endeavors to become happy and achieve some thing big in the world is some thing similar to a child building a sand castle on the banks of a ocean which is eventually destroyed by a fierceful tide, this world would be a much better place. We will not take these material possessions too seriously and wouldnt crounch upon others for our selfish desires. Radhanath Swami ki jaya
View Commentits the most wonderful article I have come across, thanks for the narration, bhakti
View Commentone must not boasts of his worldly possessions and rather must be content with what he has and what he requires, rightly explained, regards, rajesh karia
View CommentOne should be content with what they have. This is very relevant for today’s world where people want “MORE”
View CommentWhatever Radhanath Swami writes is so true that one can see it happen in one’s own life or in the lives of other people around.
View CommentThank you very much for wonderful article. It is so amazing that in such a difficult and desperate situation also HH Radhanath Swami was meditating on higher values and teachings.
View Commentone who understands the futility of this world can make easy advancement in spirituality
View Commenti like this!!
View CommentRadhanath Swami means what he says. We see in this book how he left all the material possessions so effortlessly for the sake of higher spirtual gains.
View CommentThe power of time is wonderfully depicted in this narration. A very important lesson to learn is that whatever we may have is destroyed by the waves of time and is washed away slowly. One must therefore be grateful to God.
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s deep meditation on the events of his life brings out Eye opening lessons for us . Thank you maharaj…
View CommentHow true it is! Whatever one acquires in this world is ultimately lost! I sincerely thank Radhanath Swami for his writings.
View CommentThis article awakens us to the reality of the ‘ticking clock.’
View CommentVery nice realisations Radhanath Swami has shared with all of us through his autobiography ‘The Jouirney home’
View CommentGod is already taking care of what we need. Moreover He also takes care that we do not get what we DO NOT NEED. But we do not have faith in HIM and waste our time chasing it. Radhanath Swami emphatically states that this is a foolish thing to do.
View CommentRadhanathswami Maharaj is a great soul,thats why he is connecting each and every incident of his day today life in to a profound realizatoin,likewise in this pasttime of penuts in Journey Home,Radhanathswami Maharaj realized that worldy acquisitions are like those penuts,for which people lie,cry& die,they fight & strugle for a handful and time is like monkey which is suddnenly taking away every thing. H.H.Radhanathswami Maharaj ki Jay!
View Commentvery wonderful article enlightening me to the realities of life. I am grateful to Radhanath Swami Maharaj for sharing such deep realizations through his book.
View CommentThank you Radhanath Swami for such a wonderful lesson.
View CommentThank you for sharing this enlightening article of Radhanath Swami.
View CommentAmazing article.
View CommentAll Glories To H.H Radhanath Swami Maharaj
What an wonderful explanation of how time will never fail to engulf everyone into its fold without failing be it a king or a pauper.
Hare Krishna
View CommentRadhanath Swami has wonderfully described the temporariness of this material world which Bhagavad Gita also talks about. Thank you Radhanath Swami for reminding all of us of this lesson.
View CommentThank you Maharaj for showing how the Lord as all powerful time has the power to destroy all our slowly built possessions.
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