About

Radhanath Swami is a disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Radhanath Swami travels all over the world and lectures widely. The realizations that he shares in his lectures have transformed lives of thousands over the years. But many opine that Radhanath Swami’s deepest realizations surface during the question and answer sessions that follow his discourses.

The doubts that haunt one on the spiritual path are seldom unique. And it’s almost certain that someone has already got it clarified at some point of time in the past. So wouldn’t it be nice to be able to access those answers whenever we are desperate for them? The purpose of this website is to provide that access. Most answers here are compiled from audio recordings of interactive sessions with Radhanath Swami. Some answers are extracted from audio recordings of his discourses, for questions framed by the administrators of this website. These are questions to which we felt many would want to know the answer.

All question have been categorized under four headings: Life, Insight, Nature and Events.

Life: Radhanath Swami answers questions concerning application of spirituality in practical life. It’s one thing to know what the scriptures say. But imbibing what they say in daily life is a science in itself. In Sanskrit, the former is called gyan, while the latter is called vigyan.

For practical application of spirituality, a Guru is needed. The scriptures were compiled thousands of years ago. Today, how are they relevant and applicable? A Guru, through mature understanding and realization of the scriptures, knows the spirit behind their injunctions. He/She can grasp the spirit of the lawrather than just the letter of the law. Once the spirit is captured, application can be molded according to time, place and circumstances. The Vedas say that for one serious about spirituality, acceptance of such a guru is mandatory.

An expert Electrical Engineer knows how to invoke electrical energy to either cool, or heat the room, according to the circumstantial requirements. Similarly, a guru knows how to invoke spiritual energy according to circumstantial requirements. This is only a crude example, for spiritual energy, unlike material energy, descends through grace, rather than just through intelligent manipulations.

Srila Prabhupad, the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consiousness, was the revolutionary Guru who expertly transplanted the ageless Vedic spirituality in contemporary times in places far away from India. He emphasized that knowledge of the Vedas should build one’s character. He often challenged, “What is the use of philosophy without good character.”  How he helped people in imbibing spirituality to develop character is documented in his biography, “Srila Prabhupad Lilamrita” by His Holiness Satsvarupa Das Goswami.

Following in his footsteps, many of his disciples are now acting as Gurus, to help the world edge towards spirituality irrespective of the external circumstances and situations. Radhanath Swami is one amongst them.

Those questions asked to Radhanath Swami that are especially connected to practical application of spiritual principles, and their answers will be blogged in this section.

Insight: Answers given by Radhanath Swami that provide deeper insight into issues will be blogged here.

Depending upon the level of spiritual advancement of an individual, one obtains various levels of understanding of what is told in the same scripture. This is because, spiritual knowledge descends, and it cannot be ascended to. By ascending, we mean trying to grasp the scriptures merely though one’s intellectual prowess. Intelligence can help us as a tool, but to truly capture the essence of what is told, one has to depend upon a power that descends as a grace, the power of God. Through sincere and serious practice of purificatory processes, devoid of ulterior motives, one attracts the attention and mercy of God. And when He is pleased, knowledge is revealed from within, and the scriptures reveal higher levels of understanding.

Scriptures are not merely documents written in a bygone age. They are dynamic. They are the words of God, and the more we are receptive, the more we can hear them clearly. As long as voices of our own selfish desires are barking loudly in our minds, it’s difficult to hear the voice of God even if we read His words. Therefore, the more one becomes free of selfish desires and motivations, the more one can understand the scriptures.

Srila Prabhupad, the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, has given us access to the Vedic Literatures though his translations and lucid commentaries. And he assured the world that whatever was required to attain perfection was contained in his books. But his books will reveal to us the path of perfection depending upon our sincerity.

Srila Prabhupad started daily morning discourses in his temples wherein spiritual practitioners share their understanding of what they understood from what they read. In this way, when practioners share their individual realizations, they mutually benefit each other.

Those disciples of Srila Prabhupad who have sincerely practiced spirituality over decades, when they share their realizations, it’s most enlivening and nourishing.

Here we share with the world some of the insights of Radhanath Swami that stems from his deep realizations of the scriptures.

Nature: Radhanath Swami tells what lessons we can learn by observing the way material nature, with its living and non-living components, functions.

When one is absorbed in self-realization, whatever he grasps though the senses teach him lessons. He can relate everything around him to the conclusions of the Vedas.

Jesus Christ said, “You seek, and you shall find.” One who seeks to come close to God finds ways to come closer through every phenomenon and experience of the cosmos. For one who seeks to stay away, finds reasons to stay away through every phenomenon and experience of the cosmos.

Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the founder acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, regularly would go on morning walks with his disciples. Whatever he saw, he drew lessons from that and imparted to his disciples. The compilation of the lessons he imparted during his morning walks is available as a book, “Life Comes from Life.”

All advanced souls, as they walk the path of life, learn lessons all along. And they are kind enough to share those lessons with the world. Here we find Radhanath Swami sharing the lessons that he learnt from the ways of material nature.

Events: Radhanath Swami’s outlook to major events of the world. How one takes an event depends upon one’s state of consciousness. Therefore the same

event is perceived differently by different people.

Something common amongst all the saints is that all of them see the invisible hand of God behind all events. It is said, ‘Not a blade of grass moves without the will of God.’ But what is God trying to convey to the world through the events that He sanctions? He has answered that in the scriptures. Few people however can get the exact answer to that question for any particular event that transpires. Saints help us find the answer through their profound realizations.

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad founded a magazine called the Back to Godhead in 1944. He provided spiritual perspectives to the events of the world through his publication. He sometimes wrote about the second world war, sometimes he wrote about the famine that hit Bengal in those days, and sometimes he wrote about India’s struggle for Independence—all from a scriptural perspective.

Following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupad, his disciples continue the publication of Back to Godhead. I addition to that, through their discourses, they provide a vision to the world to see the events that are staged by providence in a new light. Radhanath Swami is one amongst them.

Here we share with you Radhanath Swami’s outlook to the events of the world.