Practice what you preach

What turns people away from religion or spiritual life? Hypocrisy. – Radhanath Swami

Kali-yuga is the age of quarrel and hypocrisy.  Hiranyakashyapu was in Satya-yuga. Kamsa was in Dvapar-yuga. Ravana was in Treta-yuga. They were all philosophers and probably better intellectual philosophers than anyone today. Kamsa had all those heads and they were all filled with philosophy. Now it’s the age of Kali, which is actually the age of hypocrisy.

Radhanath Swami speaks on spiritual practice

So many people in the west were brought up in homes with religion, but they saw so much hypocrisy and they saw so much complacency in actually applying the teachings of the religion in daily life. And then when they met Srila Prabhupada, they saw something extraordinary. Here was an Acharya, an Acharya who was living by these higher principles of philosophy, who was actually having the character of true love for God, which was manifested in his compassion and self control and humility and fearlessness. And he was very specifically teaching people how to live with the character of philosophy. There was a lifestyle. And therefore people who rejected their own religions found a person who was giving the essence of all religions, and they accepted it; their lives were transformed. It’s most important…

Srila Prabhupada was once asked by an interviewer, “how will we know who is your follower?” And Srila Prabhupada, he answered in different ways. But on a particular time, he said, “Because you will see that they are perfect ladies and gentlemen”.

The name of great devotee is “Narottam”, which means the ultimate perfect human being. Srimad Bhagavatam explains that from the mode of goodness, one can transcend to the spiritual state of life. – Radhanath Swami