Radhanath Swami on “Devotee is Equipoised & Selfless”

A devotee tolerates happiness and distress that comes into his/her life knowing that the purpose of life is the service of the Supreme Lord. Whether he/she is praised or blamed, understood or misunderstood, is in pleasure or pain, is in good health or in disease, the devotee tries to do the best. If we actually accept the position of service then we allow our master to deal with us, however he pleases. But as long as we want to be the master or controller then we are very choosy of what comes or what does not come in our life.

Since a devotee becomes very selfless, he/she also becomes extremely sensitive and conscious towards the betterment of others. The devotee sees distress in one’s own life as God’s grace and becomes very ecstatic. But that same devotee grieves to see distress in another’s life. Until we become selfless to our own selfish desires, we cannot truly give off ourselves for the welfare of others. Such a person sees all living beings equally, because that person has no motivation & sees the soul in everyone’s heart. One who is in purified consciousness sees every living being equally – whether they be literate or illiterate, rich or poor, man or woman, Hindu, Christian, or Muslim.

-Radhanath Swami