One cannot know God by any amount of study of any amount of scriptures. One cannot know God through performing even the most terrible austerities like fasting, sitting in the sun in summer or sitting in the Ganges or Gangotri in the winter. One cannot know God even by giving huge amounts of charity. All of these things can help us to become more powerful or more pious but the only way to actually know the truth is ‘mahajano yena gatah sa panthah’: to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Mahabharata and other scriptures confirm it. When we have faith in that, that faith gives us the genuine connection.
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GOD is GREAT and we are extremely tiny. So it is certainly impossible to understand God by our limited means. Great devotees of the Lord have walked down that road and have been successful. So it completely makes sense to just sincerely follow in their foot steps and some day we are sure to seek Him !
I have always exsserped to you that you needed to explore your dream. It is always better to experience what you desire to accomplish rather than procrastinate and have regrets in life. I support you 100 percent. Experiences are the best teacher. Keep your resolve high and never compromise your values. You have acquired a lot at such a young age and I hope your experiences would encourage others to follow their own path and realize their goal in life.
Following in the footsteps of great souls is such practical knowledge!
Radhanath Swami’s article rightly emphasizes on following a bonafide parampara in order to make spiritual progress. Otherwise we are prone to reading & interpreting the scriptures as per our interests & limited and incomplete understanding.
Radhanath Swami Maharaj gives us a glimpse of what is really required to know God.
Wonderful advice by Swamiji….
Wonderful explanation of the formula of knowing God. God is not just any other person, who you can know about by going over scriptures. You can know Him only by the causeless mercy of a great devotee. Thank you very much Radhanath Swami for this nice message.
Radhanath Swami is giving us here a vital clue to understand God by simply following the footsteps of the great souls and thus escape lot of needless pains trying to speculate and figure out for ourselves about what we should do.
“………. When we have faith in that, that faith gives us the genuine connection.”-so true.
“When we have faith in that, that faith gives us the genuine connection” Through this statement, Radhanath Swami so beautifully explained the power of faith..
Thank you Radhanath Swami for teaching us the most perfect way to gain spiritual knowledge to appreciate the contribution of the great souls and trying to follow the standards they set in our own lives.
In “Nectra Of Instruction” there is a mention of 6 aids to develope loving devotional service. “Shadbhir Vhakti Prasidhati”. One of them is “Satovrutte” i.e. Following the footsteps of Acharyas…
This is the only way to develope faith on the devotional path.
Thank you HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj.
The practical issue here is we do not see ready advantages out of practicing devotional service. We only have to keep our faith unflinching on the words of parampara. We must see the the experiences and achievements of the achrayas and keep practicing devotional service though the effects are not immidiate(temporary) but they are eternal and assured.
I heard in Radhanath Swami maharaj’s lecture that “Experience is the Best teacher…. and the Fools learn by no other means”. It makes a lot of sense to follow someone who has already explored the field and has realizations.
This philosophy is a very wonderful presented here by Radhanath Swami which is coming in disciplic succession from Lord Krishna. We cannot know much about ourselves so how true it is that we cannot know anything about God by our own endeavours. The path traveresed by great sages in the past who were able to achieve God; should be followed; that is the only way to sucess otherwise it is almost a certainity that we will be lost.
Flling the Great souls is the perfect and sublime method to know the God. All glories to HH Radhanatha Svami Maharaja.
Foolowing the footsteps of great souls. When we have faith in that, that faith gives us the genuine connection. Thank you Gurumaharaj for telling how to follow the path