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Seated in an auto-rickshaw that had found the red light at a busy city intersection, what else could I expect but black smoke? Destiny, however, surprised me with a little sweet encounter. I spotted a street urchin who darted from vehicle to vehicle, begging. Moments later she reached me, her expression pleading for charity. I deftly reached my handbag's front pocket to pull out the box in which I always carry cookies for such occasions. The little angel was quick to translate my body language and expectation twinkled in her innocent eyes. Suddenly I realized the box wasn't to be found. Not wanting to disappoint her I reached my pockets for coins. All I found was a five hundred rupee note; if I gave that to her, we had to exchange positions! Mortified at the thought of breaking her heart, I settled the matter with a sorry smile, but made sure to add extra affection into that. She left. I felt good about what I had done and fixed my vision on the traffic light. It turned green and all vehicles honked in unison, impatient to race ahead. As my driver waited for the line of vehicles in front to start moving, suddenly the urchin reappeared. This time she didn't hold out her open palms; our eyes met and through her eyes I could hear a faint voice of gratitude that rose above the noise of traffic all around. I found in her expression an element of surprise; perhaps she had received many things from many, but hadn't received affection from any. Our exchange happened in a flash, before my vehicle sped ahead, and I never saw her again. Soon, I knew, I would forget about this brief incident, but I prayed never to forget the lesson I had learnt: affection touches the heart, and if we see closely within, we are all desperate for that touch. Years later, while learning the mysteries of Bhakti yoga from Radhanath Swami, I came to know how Bhakti is all about affection-affection exchanged between the Supreme Lord and we spirit souls. If two tiny spiritual beings can exper

Love is the greatest need in life. If you have it, you are happy in any situation; if you do not have it, you are miserable and lonely in all situations.

"In today's age, where can we find proficient spiritual coaches who can save the character-game for us?" The answer is simple: Seek and you shall find. One who is sincere, the Bhagavad Gita explains, is helped by the Supreme Lord. Radhanath Swami's memoir, The Journey Home, is a brilliant read that boosts our faith in God's help. In it Radhanath Swami shares with us his teenage quest for a guru: how he persevered with patience, and how he was lead to the guru he sought, by a power beyond his own. The adventures that accompany this quest make the book spine-chilling.

"For a relationship like marriage to work in this world, it is very difficult! In fact, for anything great to work in this world, it is very difficult."-Radhanath Swami

This is your section. Answer case studies and share your solutions with other thoughtful people. The struggles and joys of a Bhakti Yogi are explored here with real life situations. What would you do if you were placed in the same situation as the character revealed in the case study. Radhanath Swami has presented mantra yoga as a practical path that any sincere practitioner can pursue. Some of the characters in these exercises may echo your own troubled emotions and struggles. Knowing that you are not alone, and you too could make a positive difference to the lives of other spiritual seekers, will empower you to practise spiritual principles with enthusiasm and determination.

"Some years ago, I met Mother Teresa at Kolkata. She told me that the greatest problem in the world is hunger; not hunger of the belly, but hunger of the heart." - Radhanath Swami

Spirituality invigorates our enthusiasm through what I call the "lever effect." A little physical power wisely invested at an optimal point on the lever, a simple machine, could be used to move a massive rock. As a lever amplifies physical power, spirituality amplifies our enthusiasm to serve. A little enthusiasm wisely invested in meditation every morning, in time brings forth a resurgence of unlimited and sustained enthusiasm for selfless service-a long forgotten treasure of every soul, and the long sought-after ornament of every great leader.

The material aspect of married life can be a source of great suffering. But if we have a higher purpose for being together, the struggle becomes meaningful. The highest purpose is cooperating together to serve and glorify God. Radhanath Swami explains, "Even if we put God in the center, the material aspect of married life can still cause suffering. But, amazingly, if God is in the center of the relationship, the typical relationship struggles will bring the two spouses closer to God". When that happens, there will be real happiness, spiritual happiness.

An excellent way to overcome selfishness is by offering prayers for others. Sincere prayers for the well being of others enriches our own hearts with the Lord's loving presence, and brings deep, lasting fulfilment; it also empowers us with the spiritual strength to serve others happily.

Bhakti Yoga is a gradual and steady process of transformation and cultivation of positive desirable habits. One could begin waking up at 8.30 in the morning. After a week of strict adherence to this half hour improvement, one could then begin to rise at 8.00 am. This way slowly by half hour progression one can eventually rise just before sunrise. Try this programme of early morning spiritual practises for three months and see the difference it makes to your consciousness. The proof of the pudding is in eating…

Dvaraka , "the City of Gates," Lord Krishna's royal home,

A considerate leader then becomes popular with his team members; for everyone in this world seeks to be understood and loved. Thus a leader grounded on 'internal' spiritual principles also achieves the external success and popularity. But the critical difference now is by focussing on the inner journey, one achieves worldly fame as an insignificant by-product. The real success is in being a leader of substance; as the shadow of worldly recognition shines and fades, it doesn't really matter.

Do we want to be mere spectators or is there some learning that we can draw from this shocking incident and apply in our own lives and thereby change the world a little bit, for the better? We can probably use this opportunity to introspect and clean our own houses!

Radhanath Swami writes his realization that a guru or a spiritual master with the stick of knowledge cleans the dirty wax of egotism accumulated in the heart of the disciple. This wax of ego prevents us from clearly hearing God's voice within. But the guru lovingly cleans us.

"The nature of the mind is to interpret nonessentials essential. The mind creates artificial needs, believing it cannot live without them. In this way we carry a great burden of attachments throughout our life. Attachment is itself a great burden on our minds. We may never understand the extent of the burden till, like my books or the earwax, we're free of it. But if we find joy within, we can live a simple life, free of endless complications."

Radhanath Swami reveals that spiritual life can present temptations that distract us from our goal. One should not practice spiritual practices for either monetary gain or for worldly popularity. The real bliss of spiritual life will be missing from our lives if we succumb to pursuing ephemeral goals of wanting prestige and power in this material world.

Radhanath Swami implores that let us not make this mistake of denying the reality that we have negativities in our heart and we need to change. Rather let us happily accept the changes we have to make. They are for our good. These transformations bring us closer to God and give us real and lasting happiness.