Niranjana Swami's Quote Of The Day

Topic

January 11

I am sure you are conscious of the fact that there is no such thing as security in any material arrangement. Even if you were to obtain millions of dollars, you would not be able to secure happiness and peace of mind with all of that money. That is Krishna's arrangement. Permanent happiness cannot be found by relating with matter. We may think ourselves comfortable, but material nature will not allow us to be satisfied without Krishna consciousness. Again, Krishna cannot be blamed for this. We can only blame ourselves for not turning to Krishna for our ultimate shelter. He wants us to take shelter of Him and not in something temporary. He is, therefore, so kindly giving us the means to approach Him. The fault lies in our own unwillingness to take shelter of Him.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 140, 2nd Paragraph)

January 10

Preaching will give you strength. Also maintaining good sadhana will give you the strength to preach. Both are important and should not be neglected.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 138 , 4th Paragraph)

January 9

We have to remember these things while continuing with all of our duties in this world. This "remembrance" is a duty which you also cannot neglect. Despite everything else which will be expected of you, Krishna wants you to remember Him through chanting and hearing. You must balance your life in such a way that you can optimize whatever time you have for your daily sadhana for increasing your remembrance of Krishna. If you make this duty a solid commitment in your life, then you will see that this life will go by very quickly, and, towards the end of this life, there will be nothing which will make you want to come back to this world again.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 137, Last Paragraph)

January 9

January 8

Between work, raising children, and other duties required in the home, you will have so many things to do that will draw your attention to "this world" and away from the world which, each and every one of us should be aspiring for internally— the world where Krishna's family lives in perfect harmony. This world gives us hope that there is a place where there are families living happily in full absorption in Krishna. The elderly cowherd men and women, along with their children—young boys and girls—are all absorbed in Krishna in paternal affection, in friendly affection, and in conjugal affection. This is Vrindavana.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 137, 2nd Paragraph)

January 7

Keep your devotion internal, and try to inspire her by respecting her as a person and her values in life. Do not push Krishna consciousness on her, but, by being Krishna conscious yourself, you may find that Krishna consciousness will become attractive to her in time.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 135 , 3rd Paragraph)

January 6

I realize that there are so many day-to-day responsibilities which you must fulfill in this role as wife, mother (and daughter, too). By their very nature, these responsibilities remind one of their connection to the material body. They must be performed, and cannot artificially be rejected. But there must be an internal cultivation as well, which protects one from excessive attachment and the entanglements that follow along with it.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 132 , last Paragraph)

January 5

Householder life is not to be taken whimsically. It is a big responsibility, and oftentimes the attraction or "glitter" to the idea of living in the association of the opposite sex eclipses the real responsibilities which are inherent to householder life. It is a commitment to take responsibility not only for your own spiritual life, but for the lives of those who are dependent, both materially and spiritually, upon you for at least the next 25-30 years. To be a spiritual guide is not easy when the weight of domestic obligations come down upon one. Therefore, being prepared for householder life means that one must be prepared to carry the burden of both material and spiritual responsibilities.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 131 , 2nd Paragraph)

January 4

Please approach householder life in a moral and responsible way. If you enter householder life in an enjoying spirit, the price that you will have to pay for that enjoyment can be costly. The best safeguard against such pressures is a strong commitment to hearing and chanting. That should always be your top priority. Chant your rounds faithfully and attentively. Always seek out advanced and renounced association and hear from them, even if you have to go a long distance to get it. Let the funds needed to get that association be one of the main goals of your work. Then you will feel protection in householder life.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 130, last paragraph)

January 2

You asked for some tips for keeping our faith and strong conviction. The key is in hearing; this is the most effective way for increasing conviction. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur explains in Madhurya Kadambini that faith arises in two ways. One is spontaneously, or svabhaviki (as a result of some previous contact with devotional service), or if it is not spontaneously there, the second way it arises is called baladutpadita—by the forceful preaching of another. Forceful preaching doesn't mean that it could be compared to binding somebody's arm behind their back and forcing them to do something against their will. Srila Prabhupada would oftentimes say that "purity is the force." This means that even though one may speak very simply, without pressuring another into doing anything against his own will, if his motive is pure, there is a particular "force" in his words, and that force has a way of compelling someone who has actually heard to act. In other words, by coming in contact with purity, one gets faith, and when one hears from someone with realization and taste, he develops a desire to obtain that which this person possesses.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Vol 3, Pg 119 2nd Paragraph)

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