Radhanath Swami describes a rare ornament

Ornament of compassion

 

“The service that is most pleasing to Bhagavan is when we make sacrifices without selfishness, out of compassion, for others within this world.” – Radhanath Swami

There is a beautiful story in the Bhagavatam Purana about Mahadev, lord Shiva. Once upon a time when the devas and the asuras were churning the ocean of milk for nectar, massive quantities of poison came out. They were seeking nectar, but sometimes when we want nectar, first we have to remove all the poison.

That’s kind of the way our sadhana is, our spiritual practice is. The real nectar of prem, or love – love for God and love for all beings – is within us. Our spiritual practice is just to remove all those things that obscure our connection to that love. So sometimes when we are doing our meditation or our chanting, a lot of poison starts coming out of us – lust, envy, anger, greed, illusion and arrogance – and we actually see all this stuff that is already there. That should not discourage us. We should not give in to those things; rather if we just tolerate them and continue with our spiritual practice, gradually it will all be removed, and then the real nectar which we are all seeking will be forever ours.

So this poison from the churning of the Milk Ocean spread everywhere and the great rishis and devas approached Vishnu, and Vishnu took them to Shiva. When Shiva saw the plight of all living beings on the verge of extermination, by his mystical siddhi he took massive oceans of this poison and concentrated it so that it could fit in the palm of his hand. We can’t even imagine the power of that concentrate. And because this poison had to go somewhere, he drank it. His throat became very black in colour. This black throat is one of the features of Shiva that is most honoured, and is considered to be the ornament of his compassion. He is known as Neelkantha or Kalkantha. There in the Bhagavatam there is a beautiful verse in relationship to this story:  The service that is most pleasing to Bhagavan is when we make sacrifices without selfishness, out of compassion, for others within this world.

Radhanath Swami

By RNS Articles

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30 comments

  1. Amazing realisation. As Srila Prabhupada says “Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on your mind, not something that we have to get from outside, its within us. we just have to uncover it”. Just as you clear the dust on a mirror you see yourself. So our spiritual practice is to remove that dust so that we can see ourselves very clearly. Thank You Maharaj for enlightening us.

    1. Thanks Anand for the valuable comments. Thanks Radhanath Swami Maharaj for enlightening words.

  2. “Service that is most pleasing to Bhagavan is when we make sacrifices without selfishness, out of compassion, for others within this world.” That is what we should strive for – selfless service.

    1. Thanks Kalpana for highlighting ver important aspect – selfless service. Thanks Radhanath Swami.

  4. Hare Krishna.. Such a wonderful article which describes the compassionate nature of Lord Shiva. It also teaches us how one should be selfless and cultivate a loving and empathetic outlook towards other living beings.

    1. True. Compassion of Lord Shiva is beautifully described by Radhanath Swami.

  8. Excellent article by HH Radhanath Swami. We can get the ornament of compassion only by following the great souls like Lord Siva.

    1. True. Loved the phrase ‘ornament of compassion’. Thanks Radhanath Swami.

  9. Nice story expressing compassion. Feels like a long way to go…But can start at some point.

  10. We cannot replicate Lord Shiva’s act of compassion but in our own small way can try to help others who are in trouble.

    1. Very true. Little actions by each one of us can make a difference. Thanks Radhanath Swami.

  15. This story shows compassion of Lord Shiva,with sacrifices made without any selfishness.

  19. Nice story of Lord Shiva for explaining the extent of compassion. And thanks for the instruction-“The service that is most pleasing to Bhagavan is when we make sacrifices without selfishness, out of compassion, for others within this world.”

    1. True. Such sacrifices are very pleasing to the Lord. Thanks Radhanath Swami.

  20. Lot of lessons to learn from this wonderful article by HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj. Krishna becomes pleased, when we become part of His Supreme compassion. Lord Shiva is on of the greatest devotees of the Lord and this pastime shows His compassionate heart.

    1. This pastimes shows why Lord Shiva is greatest devotee. Thanks Radhanath Swami.

  21. Nice story from Bhagavatam shared by Radhanath Swami on Lord Shiva’s compassion.

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