Whatever years in this lifetime we may have, we must cultivate the taste to hear about Krishna. We develop the taste for hearing through serving great souls, in a humble selfless spirit of service and then we regularly hear.
We study the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad Gita, the Caitanya Caritamrita. We come to the classes, we humbly serve and we hear by practicing this, it’s not that you attain it. Just like a musician or an actor actress, or an athlete they become champions by practicing and practicing. But bhakti is not like that, just be sincere, Practice! Practice hearing even if it doesn’t taste good.
Srila Prabhupada explains if you have jaundice, sugarcane juice tastes bitter. But if you are healthy, sugarcane juice is so sweet. So if you have the disease what is the cure? Drink the sweet sugarcane juice. Even though it tastes so bitter, drink it as an austerity and as you become cleansed by it you begin to taste its sweetness. So like that, the more we hear about Krishna as a discipline, with enthusiasm, more we get cured.
The real austerity we are talking about is enthusiasm. You are not going to get a taste for Krishna by saying, “Alright! I want to taste, I am coming to class. Ok! I am listening, I heard it before. God! Again I have to hear this again.” Everybody says the same thing in this Krishna consciousness movement, again I am hearing this, but somehow or other I am going to stay awake and not going to get up. I am going to stay here because I want a taste.
– Radhanath Swami
The process of hearing Krsna Katha is very important to our spiritual lives.
The real austerity we are talking about is enthusiasm.. thank you Radhanath Swami for pointing this
Yes i do agree
Devotional service starts by hearing about the Lord and His unalloyed devotees. Thank you very much HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj for making it very clear.
Yes very true.
We should develop the taste for hearing as this is one of the most important processes in spiritual life.
Thanks for sharing this..- We develop the taste for hearing through serving great souls, in a humble selfless spirit of service and then we regularly hear.
Yes a very important message indeed.
Whatever years in this lifetime we may have, we must cultivate the taste to hear about Krishna – Very sound advice!
Thanks for your guidance Swamiji…….
In this article Radhanath Swami very clearly distinguishes how the success on the path of bhakti is not “achieved” but “awarded” by Lord Krishna. Thank you.
Yes i do agree
This reminds me of the text 1.2.8 from Srimad Bhagavatam,
dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
śrama eva hi kevalam
Translation by H DG AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada : The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.
Srila Prabhupda ki Jaya. All Glories to HHRNS.