Niranjana Swami's Quote Of The Day

Topic

February 1

Whenever a devotee suffers some reversal in life, if he is fortunate, he will remember all that he has learned throughout his life from his association with Krishna's devotees. Suffering and pain is the real testing ground for what we've gained in our practices of Krishna consciousness. That gain is our greatest fortune to know that Krishna is our well-wishing friend and protector. When in pain, it's not easy to remember. But you are also so very fortunate that in the midst of your crisis, Krishna's devotees were there to remind you and to help you regain your physical and spiritual strength. It seems that Krishna has given you more time in this life to take full advantage of this association you have, in order to make this your last life in the material world. All glories to Krishna's devotees!
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 172, last Paragraph)

January 31

Pariksit Maharaja had the benediction of knowing when he was going to leave his body. Of course, we know that he was cursed. But, it can also be considered a benediction because he knew that he had only seven days to live, and thus utilized every moment appreciating the full value that each moment was giving him to become fully Krishna conscious. Similarly, you now have the opportunity to finish your business in the material world and make this your last life. I pray that you will leave in full Krishna consciousness.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 170, 4th Paragraph)

January 30

Even if it is difficult for you to chant, you can still chant in your mind. You can also hear. Listen to lectures. You were accustomed to using your body for Krishna, but now this is a new test to see if you've understood why all the previous service you rendered with your body and mind was aimed for the right goal. All of our duties are meant to increase our remembrance of Krishna, because remembrance of Him is what we must take with us when we leave these bodies behind. All our other achievements will not come with us.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 167, 3rd Paragraph)

January 29

"You need not absorb your whole consciousness in eating and taking treatment. Some effort must be made in that direction, but, ultimately, the reason for so doing is so that you can come to the point of fixing your mind in Krishna. You are not ready to give up your body yet. Why take the risk of coming back again, when you could be taking full advantage of this body and mind, even in your present condition, to increase your remembrance of Them and not have to return again to this material world? This should be your motive to make the effort to live longer.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 167, 2nd Paragraph)"

January 28

Your body, including your mind and senses, is a vehicle which can carry you across the ocean of worldly existence. As long as you are connected to the body, mind, and senses, you must make every effort to increase your Krishna consciousness by engaging them in Krishna's service. You have a duty to Radha Syamasundara to make this effort to please Them. They want you to be fully absorbed in thoughts of Them whenever your time comes to leave. There is no better means to please Them. In that state of consciousness, a devotee can stay or leave. It does not make any difference because he is with Krishna.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 167, 1st Paragraph)

January 27

Death, for you right now, in the height of your suffering, might be accepted by you as your best choice to go with. But is it really the best choice to let yourself die, without making any serious effort to live longer, when there is a mixed motive in your heart to stop the suffering? The desire to stop suffering is not Krishna conscious. The desire to please Krishna is Krishna conscious, and a devotee who has fully awakened this desire allows Krishna to make the decision whether he should leave his body or not.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 166, last Paragraph)

January 26

We should always strive for growth, and we should be careful to not become stagnant—both ourselves and as a movement. Taking care of others' needs for Krishna consciousness is an important responsibility, which must be fulfilled if we want to continue to grow as a society. Srila Prabhupada wanted this. Of course, we must be careful to not allow our exchanges to become too official, lacking deep interest. The key to this is care. Everything else will follow. (Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 162, 2nd Paragraph)

January 25

We must always remember that, although we are strict with ourselves, we must be ready to be liberal in our dealings with others. In other words, younger devotees need to be inspired to become strict, and not forced. When they see a good example and hear inspiring classes, they will automatically want to become more strict if they are sincere.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 161, 2nd Paragraph)

January 24

I can see from your report that you are feeling satisfied from traveling and preaching, and this is very satisfying to me. It is especially important that older devotees take up this responsibility of traveling, preaching, and inspiring the younger generation of devotees to become more serious about their commitments to bhakti yoga. In order to be successful, you must always be strict with yourself with regards to sadhana and lifestyle. I can see that you are doing this, and if you continue to do so, your success in helping others will only increase.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 161, 2nd Paragraph)

January 23

In this endeavor (of serving as a counselor), you will constantly find new challenges when trying to deal with the individual needs of each devotee under your care. I pray that all of you will remain pure in your dealings, by strictly following the principles of Krishna consciousness yourselves, and that you will always be careful not to introduce any concocted formulas for becoming Krishna conscious. If ever any question arises in your service about something, which you are unsure of, please include your questions in your reports and I will answer them according to your needs.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 158, 2nd Paragraph)

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