When we want respect, we should understand our material fever is increasing. When we want to give respect to others that is the thermometer reading that we are in a healthy spiritual condition. As soon as we get the desire that we want others to serve us, in our hearts emergency alarm bells should ring and activate our intelligence that there is a fire and we should put it out immediately. When there is a desire to serve others we should understand we are in a safe position.
Of course, our desires are very much conditioned by our past. Therefore, we must recondition our desires; we must replace the diseased desires with healthy desires. This is called austerity. There is austerity of the mind, austerity of speech, and austerity of our actions. We all want so many unwholesome desires to be fulfilled; therefore we meditate on these things. We must somehow or other replace those thoughts with thoughts that purify us—thoughts of how to serve. Pray to the Lord, ‘I want to be the servant of all living entities.’ That is the only way to replace the crazy ideas of the mind.
By Radhanath Swami
